Purple Lovers
by DracoSlayer95
Summary: After unwittingly drinking a love potion Neptune falls madly in love with Nepgear and gets rather clingy towards her, meanwhile Nepgear struggles with her own feelings for Neptune. Soon enough, hidden feelings are brought to the surface as Neptune struggles to understand how she really feels about her beloved little sister, while said sister tries to lock away her own feelings.
1. One More Day!

It was a very well known fact that Lady Nepgear had a very deep affection for her older sister, Lady Neptune. What most did not understand was the true depths of her emotions.

Nepgear woke up that day the same as any other. She woke up with a yawn, did some stretching and switched out of her pajamas into her usual clothes before heading off to make breakfast for herself, Histoire and Neptune. She'd gotten so accustomed to doing it that these days she would be up and dressed in only a few minutes.

Much to Nepgear's surprise, Neptune actually woke up earlier than usual. On most days Nepgear would have had to nudge her awake with the promise of food, but for once that wasn't necessary. By the time breakfast was ready, Neptune practically inhaled it like a starving syrup pig at an all-you-can-eat-buffet. Before Nepgear even got a chance to question this unusual behavior, Neptune was already headed for the door.

"I'm gonna head out real quick. I'll be back later!" Neptune was already out the door before Nepgear could get in a word edgewise, leaving the candidate alone with Histoire.

"Gracious, I wonder what's gotten into Neptune today?" Histoire asked aloud. Her words practically fell on deaf ears as Nepgear was more interested in the door her sister had left from. Not that it really mattered; Histoire was already taking her leave of the room as well, completely oblivious to the look of longing on Nepgear's features.

"Neptune..." Nepgear mumbled to herself. "Come back soon..." She said to no one in particular. She cast a glance towards the clock, an odd feeling of emptiness overcoming her. What a strange feeling indeed.

Many long seconds passed before Nepgear finally moved from her spot. She didn't really care where she went, her legs just sort of... carried her of their own accord. She found herself standing in front of the door to her room and she twisted the knob without even thinking about it. Perhaps her heart was trying to tell her something?

Walking inside her room, Nepgear looked towards the bunk bed she and Neptune slept in. It was strange... Casting a glance at the clock, she realized that Neptune would usually still be asleep by this time of morning. "I wonder what must have happened today that would make Neptune of all people wake up early..." She wondered aloud.

The candidate's eyes drifted around the room, as they usually did when Neptune was out and about. The CPU didn't often go out on her own, but when she did, it left Nepgear to wonder what to do without her. It was an aspect of herself she wasn't entirely fond of, her own over-attachment towards her own sister.

"Maybe that's why Neptune doesn't like me... Because I'm so... clingy..." In a rare moment of weakness, Nepgear crawled over to her bed, but instead of laying down on the bottom bunk, something possessed her to climb up into her older sister's bunk. She didn't know why, but before she could stop to ponder that she was already lying down on her sister's mattress. It was... oddly comfortable, she noted. It was supposed to be the same as the one she slept on, but something about Neptune's was so much nicer. Perhaps... It was because of the smell. The bed practically radiated with the smell of lilacs... The smell of Neptune.

Goodness, Nepgear really was overly attached to her own sister, wasn't she? No... This wasn't just a simple attachment and she knew it. But, was that really such a bad thing?

"Neptune..." The name left her lips so easily. It had such a pleasing sound to it, but at the same time, a conflicting one. "Neptune..."

The girl looked over the side of the bed, her eyes landing on a small, unassuming portrait of two lilac-haired girls looking forward, smiling. Unlike the short girl in the picture, Nepgear's smile was upside down in the shape of a frown as she eyed the photo. The younger version of her looked so happy, so close to Neptune... Much more so than she felt right now. It was almost hard to believe Nepgear was once that same little girl in the photo standing next to Neptune.

"I never thought I'd feel so jealous of myself like this..." She muttered aloud. "I wonder... If we could ever be like that again... someday."

The room became eerily quiet after that. Nepgear's eyes lingered on that photo for far longer than intended, but she was soon able to break herself away from it. Giving herself a good slap on the cheeks, she tried to think of something else as she laid back down on her sister's bed and stared at the ceiling. She failed. Miserably.

"Neptune..."

 **-~-~-~- _Purple Lovers_ -~-~-~-**

In the midst of all of Planeptune's bustling streets and towering buildings, a single girl stood out amidst the crowd of people. This girl was none other than the beloved goddess of the nation itself, Neptune, or more formally known as Lady Purple Heart. Regardless of what people called her, the short-statured CPU found herself zipping through the streets of Planeptune, casting the occasional glance through the window of various stores, or even going in to look at their merchandise.

The CPU ran around like an excited pup in search of a toy to play with. She flew from building to building after having gone through the various trinkets and other such memorabilia, ultimately leaving with no more than she went in with. Nevertheless, that did not discourage the spry leading lady from her quest, whatever it may have been.

Neptune must have spent the better part of half an hour bouncing from shop to shop before she all the running finally caught up to her and she was forced to stop for air. She gasped for air, stopping herself from falling over by setting her hands on her knees. She looked around for a moment and noticed a bench nearby, immediately pouncing on it to rest her weary feet.

"Why is it so hard to find a good gift these days?!" She whined to herself, unknowingly startling the crowds of people walking around her. Thankfully, that only lasted for a brief moment before they all returned their own attention to... whatever it is they were all doing. "Maybe I should just bring back something techy for Nep Jr.. She loves that kind of stuff, after all..."

The girl mulled the thought over in her head for a while, before nodding in disapproval at her own idea.

"Nah! That'd be too easy. I want to get her something really, really special. Something only I can give her." The CPU clenched her fist with determination, until a familiar voice caught her attention.

"High quality merchandise for sale!" Standing some distance away, standing in front a wheeled cart containing a wide assortment of goods was an incredibly short, brunette girl. A girl that Neptune would recognize in any situation. "In need of good potions to help on adventures? Look no further! Gust's potions will cure what ails you, and even more!"

"Gust!" Neptune cheered, surprising the short brunette for a moment.

"Ah! Lady Neptune!" The short brunette turned her attention to Neptune, greeting the CPU politely. "It is good to see you again. What brings you out here today?"

"Well, I just figured I'd go out and take a stroll, maybe get a little gift for Nepgear. That kind of thing."

"A present, you say?" For only a split second, a glint appeared in Gust's eye. "Gust may be able to help with that."

"I don't know about that," Neptune replied. She didn't see it, but Gust's hand tensed slightly at her words. "I really wanted to find her something on my own. Something I know she'll like. You get what I mean, Gusty?"

"I see, I see..." Gust nodded her head along understandingly. She eyed Neptune quietly, like a silent predator weighing its options, or something along those lines. "If Lady Neptune has trouble finding something, then it should not be trouble if she asks a friend for help, should it? It is the thought that counts when giving gifts, after all."

"Hmm... Well, I guess when you put it like that," Neptune spoke in the midst of casual contemplation. "Sure, let's do it!"

"Excellent!" Gust exclaimed. "However, before Gust says anything, would like to ask small favor of Lady Neptune."

Gust was then met with a surprisingly inquisitive look from the purple CPU. "What is it?"

"Gust simply asks that Lady Neptune try one of Gust's newest creations," The brunette explained. "Been working in atelier on new potions. Normally, Gust would have to take them to Guild to be analyzed to discern effects, but such method is very costly and time consuming. Would be much simpler if had someone to test it for Gust and tell me about its effects."

"So you just want me to drink one of your new potions to see if it works?" Neptune repeated. "Sounds pretty easy to me. Any idea what it does?"

"If Gust played her cards right, should revitalize energy and increase stamina for short duration." The minature, and not metal in any way alchemist spoke confidently of her creation like a kid at a science fair. "Gust is sure effects of poisons used won't be harmful."

"Sounds good to- Wait, poison?" Did the wind suddenly feel a little colder?

"Yes! Potion was made using various poisons found in wilds, such as extract of fangs from rare breed of Fenrir, as well as a few poisonous plants." It was amazing how the alchemist could so casually talk about making potions with poison. "Would be quite fatal to most makers if handled improperly, but Gust made sure to be very cautious and careful during the mixing process."

"Well, that's-"

"Gust is 65 percent sure poisons will do no harm."

"A little concerning..." By this point Neptune was starting to go pale at the idea of drinking something that could potentially kill her.

"No need to worry. Estimate only applies to Makers. CPU's have been shown to be much more resistant to disease and other such matters." Gust only continued to casually speak about her potion, unfazed by all the lake's worth of sweat Neptune was producing. "Goddess such as yourself should be completely fine... Probably."

"That's not making me feel any better, Gusty!" Neptune sighed. "I really don't want to spend half the day looking for something, so I guess I might as well."

"So, do we have deal?"

"Definitely!" Neptune responded. "But first you have to help me find that gift or no deal."

"Understandable. Gust will help find gift for Nepgear."

"Then what are we waiting for? Let's get a move on!" Neptune didn't wait up, instead grabbing Gust by the hand and pulling her along on their little outing. "Just you wait, Nep Jr.!" Only the best of gifts would do for the girl who changed Neptune's life for the better, after all.


	2. The Sister She Needs!

"Gee thanks, Gust." Finally, Neptune had acquired the perfect gift for Nepgear with the help of her alchemist friend Gust. They even got it wrapped up in fancy paper and stuffed in an appropriately sized box, almost like a birthday gift. She was practically beaming with joy and already wondering just how Nepgear would react to such a gift, though she already had a pretty good idea of what would happen. Gust on the other hand…

"It was Gust's pleasure, now about our agreement." The small alchemist swiftly reached into her huge hat and pulled out a very… unique looking potion. It was all pink and bubbly, it was like a really girly-looking health potion.

"So all I have to do is drink this right? Are you sure that's okay? I mean you did help me find this gift and all."

"It is perfectly fine, Lady Neptune. All Gust needs is for you to test it and tell me about effects as soon as you can."

"Okay then, here goes." Neptune proceeded to start drinking until the whole thing was soon gone and… she felt nothing. "Huh, I don't feel any different. Aww, I thought it was gonna be like one of those potions that fully heals ya and doubles your attack power or something like that."

"Doesn't that also apply to soup?" Indeed, nothing could ever hope to match the love of grandmother's home made soup, just make sure you give her a fairy to make sure she's alright first. "But more importantly, it may take few hours for potions' effects to kick in. For now you should go home and call me if any changes occur."

"You got it, Gusty." With a mock salute and quick wave goodbye the purple-haired CPU was off to see the wiz-I mean off to the basillicom… Pay no attention to the narrator behind the curtains.

In fact, as she headed home she started feeling better already, maybe the potion had already started taking effect. She felt so good in fact that she couldn't help but break out into dance as she made her way downtown, walking fast, faces past cuz she was home-bound.

It didn't take very long before she found herself at the doors to the basillicom. She was really really excited and couldn't wait for tomorrow to come. Now if she had only paid attention she might have noticed that people were filming her dancing, in which case she might've understood why Histy and Nepgear greeted her with such gleeful expressions (the videos had quickly gone viral and caused a fair increase in Planeptune's overall shares). But nobody cares about pointless stuff like that, what matters is that Neptune was quickly starting to feel rather strange.

"Welcome back sis." Really really strange.

"Welcome back Neptune." In fact, it was starting to feel kinda hot… really hot

"Sis? Are you feeling okay?" Nepgear's answer came in the form of her older sister passing out and falling to the floor. "SIS!"

"Neptune!" The tiny oracle quickly floated over to the now unconscious CPU and putting a hand to the girl's forehead as Nepgear rushed to her side as well.

"Is she okay?" Gear was suddenly feeling very small, her voice felt strained and her eyes were trembling.

"I believe she may have caught a fever, though I can't be too sure. For now we need to get her to bed."

"Right!" Without wasting any time, Gear quickly lifted up her sister bridal style and ran off to their bedroom, all the while she couldn't help but feel a strange sense of deja vu."

 **-~-~-~- _Purple Lovers_ -~-~-~-**

To this day, nobody knew how long it would take for the console war to end. It had been going on for a long time, longer than most people could even remember.

"Rainy Ratnapura!" Even the CPU's themselves weren't sure how much longer it would take. As it stood, lady Green Heart was slowly losing interest in the console war altogether, hoping to put an end to it soon.

"Ein Shlag!" On the other hand, the ever proud lady White Heart wouldn't stop fighting until she was the only one left, regardless of how long it took.

 **CLANG CLANG**

"Paralyze Fencer!" The only one who could hope to match White Heart's determination was lady Black Heart.

"Blaze Break!" Even lady Purple Heart had no intentions of backing down.

 **CLANG CLANG**

At this point, things were getting nowhere fast, though considering how stubborn a goddess can be, only two of them could understand that.

"...huff huff… It seems as though we've reached an impasse." Growing ever tired and barely able to hold her spear, Green Heart didn't have any intentions of dragging things out longer than they needed to be.

"huff… huff… what're you talkin' about? I can still take all of you." As usual White Heart was feeling rather stubborn.

"She has a point… huff… none of us have enough energy to keep going." Luckily Purple Heart was actually using her brain and not letting her ego get the better of her.

"Speak for yourself… huff." Apparently Black Heart was feeling especially not give-up-y today. Translation: She was feeling cocky as all hell with Lastation's steady share growth.

So what happened next? Well the four ended up in another argument (which might as well have been a tradition considering how often they had them after battle) until eventually they agreed to return home and pick up where they left off in a few days so they could heal, and since you don't care about what happened on Neptune's trip back to Planeptune let's just cut to her walking in through the planeptower's balcony.

"Histoire, I'm… back?" As Purple Heart walked in she noticed that Histoire wasn't the only one there. Whoever their guest was they quickly ducked behind a chair at the sight of Purple Heart. "Who's our guest?"

"Welcome back, Neptune." Histoire turned her head to look to their "guest" as she cowered behind a chair, giving her a soft smile as she spoke to the frightened girl. "Don't be scared, she wont hurt you, why don't you go say hello?"

It took a few seconds, but after a while the small girl had worked up the courage to move out from behind the chair. As she did, Purple Heart's eyes widened, she was utterly dumbfounded at the sight of the little girl that stood before her, the reason being that she looked almost identical to herself in human form. The only real difference was that she had longer, neater hair, she was a little shorter and wearing a little sailors uniform too.

"H-hello." The tiny girl looked so scared, but then again it made sense when she was looking up at such a strong-looking CPU who was apparently also her new older sister.

"H-hello." Neptune waved at the girl, still trying to figure out how this happened before turning to her oracle. "Histoire, what's-"

"Well you see, after you departed for celestia the sharicite began to glow far brighter than I had ever seen before, by the time it died down this little girl was standing in front of it." At the very least, Histoire's answer seemed to alleviate most of Purple Heart's confusion. "If I were to take a guess, this was most likely caused by the sudden rise in shares. I suppose that that would mean that this little girl is your little sister in a sense."

"My sister. What's her name?"

"I figured that I would leave that for you to decide. Now if you'll excuse me." And with that, Histoire left the two sisters to their own devices in the same way one might expect from a flamboyantly colored lion with a bow-tie, meaning: Exit, stage left. Heavens to murgatroyd! How impressive! Spectacular even!

"Uhhh… So… I guess I'm your big sister now, Nepgear." As one might expect Neptune wasn't quite sure what to say seeing as how she just found out she had a sister and all.

"Nep...gear?" On the other hand, the little girl was looking up at her, obviously unsure of what that word meant.

"Y-yeah… that's your name. Do you like it?" The smaller girl gave a reassuring if only a little hesitant nod in approval of her new name. She actually kinda liked the name, but she wasn't sure what else to do now-

"Eh?" Suddenly a light enveloped around her sister and as soon as it vanished Nepgear was left in awe of what happened… HER SISTER SHRUNK! "S-sis?! What happened?" Her eyes widened, shock clearly visible on her face as she stared at the now smaller, but still taller than herself, form of her big sister. She had heard from Histoire that her sister was strong, but she didn't realize she could shape-shift too! What other amazing things could Neptune do that she wasn't aware of?

"It's cool Nepgear, allow me to explain how transformations work." Neptune waved a hand dismissively as she prepared for a very special lecture. "What you're looking at right now is my normal form." Once again a light enveloped her body as she changed back to the majestic Purple Heart. "And this is called Hard Drive Divinity." Inwardly, Neptune was disappointed that she didn't have any other transformations to show off so she could go into one of those cheesy anime monologues so she could look cool. Outwardly, she just smiled as she picked up her confused, yet starstruck little sister into her arms, but not before turning back into her human form of course. "Geez that takes a lot out of me. Hey are you hungry, Nep Jr?"

Then came another slow nod from the mini Nep sister.

 **-~-~-~- _Purple Lovers_ -~-~-~-**

A few days later

"Whee! Faster Faster!" The young purple sibling was in the midst of an intense horsebird riding session. Except instead of an actual horsebird, she was riding on her big sister's back. Neptune was busy doing her best horsebird impression, making whinnying sounds and galloping about like she did the last few times they had done this.

It had only been a few days, yet the two were already inseparable. Nepgear may have gotten a bit clingy, but it was still nice to see her looking so happy.

Only a few feet away, Histoire watched the spectacle with a smile on her face, but she couldn't help but wonder… why was Nepgear so small? Even Neptune wasn't that small when she was born, CPU's don't really grow very much after they're born so Histy just figured Nepgear was just going to be small for the rest of her life, well at least Histy wouldn't be the only tiny being in Planeptune… if only she knew.

"And now for the Nep special!" It was time. Time for Neptune's greatest horsebird maneuver of all… which apparently meant that it was time for feeding. With all the speed of a raccoon, Nepgear hopped off of her sister's back and quickly went to the fridge grabbed a pudding along with a spoon and with the precise motions of a surgeon she grabbed a makeshift feed bag and dumped the pudding into it. It was a truly breathtaking sight to say the least… to Neptune, but more than that she noticed something else as her sister brought over her favorite dessert.

"Hey Jr, did you put my name on this?" Nepgear recoiled in shock and nearly dropped her sister's precious pudding. How did she know? It wasn't even very legible and it was in such small letters that no normal person could see it from such a vast distance.

"How did you know?" Truly Nepgear was flabbergasted, but maybe her sister was just even more awesome than she thought.

"Hmhm, don't underestimate my eyes that can spot a girls panties and calculate their bust size from a mile away." So apparently Neptune is good at math… just not in the way most would expect. All the while Nepgear was awestruck and staring up at her sister adoringly like she was some sort of hero from ancient legends. The kind of hero that fights for the sake of making people happy, even if it meant having to fight with a future version of herself that was a way better fighter that could make swords out of thin air (Unlimited Bit Works!).

Histoire on the other hand was busy introducing her palm to her face in a maneuver known universally as the facepalm. Even still, she found a smile making its way to her face as she watched the two sisters looking so happy. She was glad Neptune could still smile, though she couldn't help but be brought back to her thoughts regarding Nepgear's heig-

The phone rang.

Histoire was broken out of her thoughts by the sound of a ringing phone. After a moment to take in what was happening, the tiny oracle made her way towards it while the two Nep sisters paused to look at her.

"I'll go get it, you two just enjoy yourselves." The sight of the two made Histoire feel like she might just burst out laughing. Neptune was scarfing down on her pudding while her sister was combing her "mane" and telling her how much of a "good girl" she was. Even still, Histoire held back her laughter and proceeded to answer the phone while the sisters continued playing.

"Who so you think is calling sis?" Nepgear's voice lowered to very hushed tone as she slid closer to her sister. Neptune took a moment to get the feed bag off of her face before speaking.

"I dunno, but I betcha it's one of my fans." Once again Nepgear's eyes turned into starts as she gazed upon the glory of her awesome older sister.

"I see… I see… Very well then… I will tell her right away." The oracle hung up the phone and turned to face the two sisters with a much less enthusiastic expression than before. "Neptune, it would appear as though the other nation's CPU's have decided to resume battle later today." With those words spoken, Neptune's expression fell to match Histoire's, whereas Nepgear watched on in confusion.

"What's wrong sis? Did something happen?" Hearing Nepgear's voice quickly snapped Neptune back to reality and she put on a smile, forced as it may have been, so as to not worry her little sister.

"It's nothing, there's just something I gotta go do later today, but don't worry, I'll be back before you know it." Hopefully that would be enough to keep little Gear from worrying too much.

"Promise me." The younger girl extended a pinky towards her sister.

"...Yeah, I promise." Neptune extended a pinky of her own and gave the younger girl a much less forced, caring smile.

Once again, Histoire found another smile forming on her lips, yet at the same time… she couldn't help but worry for Neptune's well-being the same way she always did before she left to fight the other CPU's.

At the same time, Neptune had decided that she was going to make gamindustri a more peaceful place. She wanted to make the world a better place for her people, for Histoire, and last but certainly not least, for Nepgear and she would start… by putting an end to the console war!

 **-~-~-~- _Purple Lovers_ -~-~-~-**

After a long battle Purple Heart made her way back to the basillicom, feeling absolutely dreadful.

In fact, as she started heading home she started feeling worse, maybe she could have been more skillful and then this might not have happened. She felt so bad in fact that she almost passed out on her way back, making her way there while fighting off the urge to throw up.

After what felt like an eternity she finally found herself landing back onto the balcony as an excited Nepgear and a worried Histoire went to greet her. Neptune on the other hand was feeling much worse than before.

"Welcome back sis!" Much much worse.

"Welcome back Neptune." In fact, she was having trouble staying on her feet… a lot of trouble.

"Sis? Are you okay?" Nepgear's answer came in the form of her sister transforming back to normal and falling to the floor, unconscious. "SIS!"

"Neptune!" The tiny oracle quickly rushed to the fallen CPU's side as Nepgear did the same and hastily checked on Neptune's condition.

"Is she okay?!" Gear was suddenly feeling very very small, her voice felt strained and her eyes were trembling, threatening to spill tears.

"She's heavily injured, I need to call the hospital." The oracle made her way back to inside as she made a mad dash for the phone. Nepgear on the other hand could only sit at her sisters side, trying to wake her up by shaking her.

"Sis. Wake up."

She didn't like this.

"Please wake up."

She didn't like this at all.


	3. Are You Okay?

Now that Nepgear thought about it, something like this had happened before. It was only a few days after she was born, but she still remembered the way her sister looked as she lost consciousness. Today, on the other hand was different than it was back then, back then she was still fighting in the console war, but today… today she was supposed to have been doing some shopping. A thousand and one thoughts ran through Nepgear's head as she tried to make sense of her sister's sudden collapse, but she just couldn't think of a good reason for what might have happened to cause this.

Shaking her head, she tried to get those thoughts out of her head, instead choosing to focus her attention on the sleeping form of her beloved older sister. She slowly reached a hand over and gently stroked her hair, all the while hoping that she would wake up soon.

"Nepgear, Compa should be arriving shortly." Histoire's voice had successfully gotten the young candidate's attention, seeing as how Gear turned her head to face the tiny oracle floating at the doorway with hopeful eyes. "Has anything else happened?"

"No, she still hasn't moved at all." Although Nepgear was glad to know that Compa would be arriving soon, it didn't help ease her worries, not until Neptune was back on her feet would she be able to calm down.

"Nepgear, I know you are worried, but how do you think Neptune would feel if she knew you were worrying yourself half to death over her?"

"I'm sure she'll forget all about it if I gave her some pudding." Gear gave an awkward, if only a little bit forced smile in an attempt to quell the oracle's concerns.

"That might be true, but that's not the point." The oracle couldn't argue with that logic, in fact she had seen something similar happen after Neptune chastised Gear after the infamous running of the hedgehogs incident (don't ask). Even still, it only lasted the 5 minutes it took Neptune to finish her pudding (she really liked to savor the flavor).

"I know, but I just can't help it sometimes, I'm sorry." The candidate scratched her cheek with a hint of her usual cheerfulness returning to her voice.

The tiny fairy let out an audible sigh as she merely stared away at the young candidate and her sister. "As long as you understand." She then turned to go and wait for Compa, deciding it might be for the best to leave the sisters be for now. "Call me if anything happens, I'll be near the entrance waiting for Compa.

"Sure, will do." Upon hearing those words, the oracle turned and headed off to wait for Compa.

 **-~-~-~- _Purple Lovers_ -~-~-~-**

"So, is there something wrong with her?" The concerned voice of Nepgear asked as the peach-haired nurse known as Compa finished inspecting the purple CPU.

"I'm gonna be blunt with you ge-ge." Compa stood up and looked the young candidate and floating oracle dead in the eyes. "I don't know." And promptly confused the hell out of them both.

"Um, what do you mean?"

"Sorry ge-ge, I tried my best, but I can't find anything wrong with nep-nep, aside from being unconscious she's the picture of a perfectly healthy patient." As if to accentuate her point the young medical student grabbed the thermometer she had placed in Neptune's mouth and showed it to the two. "Her temperature is mostly normal, her body isn't injured at all, not to mention that her heartbeat is very calm and healthy."

Now the three girls were at an utter loss. If they didn't know what was wrong with Neptune what were they supposed to do to help her get better. "Well then I am at my wits end, I wasn't able to find any cases similar to this in my tome at all." Even Histoire, with all of her knowledge of the world and sagely wisdom couldn't find a darn thing that could help in this situation.

For a few moments the trio merely stood, with no idea on what was wrong with Neptune, if there was anything wrong in the first place. If only they had some sort of clue as to what she'd been doing earlier that day then they might have been able to find a clue of some or maybe they could ask-

"Haaaaaaaaaahhhhh." They could ask the quickly awakening CPU herself that's what they could do, after she was done yawning and getting up of course.

"Sis?" The first to react was of course, Nepgear who, along with the other two girls, wore the most confused expression she had ever worn in years.

"Huh? Oh, g'morning Nepge-" As she rubbed the sleepiness out of her eyes the CPU came to a sudden halt as she looked up at her concerned-looking little sister. All the while, a rather goofy-looking smile began to grace her features as she shifted and sat herself on the edge of her bed.

"Sis? Are you feeling alright? You're face looks kinda..."

"Kinda what, dear sister o' mine?" The young candidate wasn't sure whether she should be worried or scared at this point. Neptune's voice sounded oddly sweet and… and it had something else there that Nepgear couldn't quite decipher, not necessarily something bad, but it was odd nonetheless.

"Neptune are you sure you're alright?" Histoire, being the ever studious oracle she was, wanted to make sure Neptune was alright.

"Sure I'm sure, why wouldn't I be?" Oddly enough, Neptune didn't even look at Histoire as she spoke, her eyes were trained exclusively on Nepgear. "I mean I have such a cute little sister here worrying about me after all."

And now, Histoire, who had thought that today couldn't get any stranger, had been proved completely wrong on all accounts. Both she and Compa, alongside Nepgear, stared at the purple-haired CPU, completely dumbfounded and confused beyond belief. In fact, if they didn't know any better then they might even suspect that Neptune had been replaced by an impostor of some sort.

"Hey Jr, you wanna go get some pudding?" Or… maybe not…? "I'll even let ya feed me." Or maybe she was… it was getting harder to tell with each passing second.

"O-okay… sure."

 **-~-~-~- _Purple Lovers_ -~-~-~-**

If Nepgear hadn't suspected that something was wrong before then she'd be a fool not to see it now. The entire time she and Neptune ate pudding her sister kept scooting closer to her and even tried to feed her. Normally Nepgear might have liked the attention, but given how adamant her sister was being, it was very difficult to enjoy this sort of affection, even for Nepgear.

"Hey junior, has anyone ever told you how cute you look in this light?" Even while they tried to watch tv together she was being especially glingy, not to mention all of the weird compliments and the like were really getting the young candidate very flustered. It was a very conflicting situation for the girl, on one hand she was kind of enjoying all the extra attention, but on the other she didn't feel right with her sister acting like this. She loved her sister and wanted to be with her more than anything, but this wasn't her sister! She wasn't supposed to act like this! She was supposed to be cool and laid back and eating chips and wearing cute outfits that showed off just enough skin that people would want to see a little mo- "Hey Junior are you okay, your face is getting really red."

"I-I-I'm f-f-f-fine." As soon as the words left her mouth the candidate knew she wasn't fooling anyone, not even her usually air-headed dolt of a sister would believe that.

"Well okay then." Or… she would…? "Just make sure you bring some napkins with you okay." Never mind. She totally wouldn't!

"No, it's not what you think!" Throwing her hands in front of her, the candidate was only making matters worse, though fortunately for her, Compa and Histoire chose that moment to walk and or float back into the living room from having left the living room to prepare dinner.

"Dinners ready!" The cheery nurse's voice might as well have been a bell, seeing as how Nepgear had just been saved by it.

"Oh goodness, I guess it'd be rude to keep Compa waiting, wouldn't it sis?" Desperately hoping that food would be enough to get her out of this situation, Nepgear had no intentions of letting this chance go to waste.

"Oooh, then what are we waiting for? Let's go Nep Jr." Well that was easier than the candidate had anticipated, not that she was complaining, she was just a bit surprised to see how her sister could still act like herself if food was involved. That didn't mean she was gonna stop worrying about her, but it was still nice to know nonetheless.

As for how dinner went. It proceeded rather well for the most part, Neptune was still being a bit clingy towards Nepgear, but otherwise she was behaving the same way she usually would.

"Oh and don't you worry nep-nep, Histy and I made you a special eggplant dish to help you get over you fear of-"

"NO! I won't do it! I hate eggplants!"

"Neptune, how will people feel if their goddess is picky about- Neptune, put down that chair this instant!"

"You'll never take me alive!"

"Goodness."

Yup. Same as usual.

And of course dinner soon came to an end and it was time for Compa to go. Even though she wanted to stay and make sure Neptune was okay, ultimately she left that to Histy and Ge-ge to look after her, besides Iffy was bound to be back home by now and it would be rude to keep her waiting.

Histoire had opted to take care of some paperwork while Neptune decided to head to bed a bit earlier than usual. After a short discussion with Histoire Nepgear decided that it might be best if she looked after Neptune to make sure nothing happened while she was sleeping. It was mostly out of concern, but there was also the fact that she always felt more at ease by her sisters side. It might have just been a childish little quirk she had never grown out of, but it probably wasn't going anywhere anytime soon.

As she entered the room she was immediately met face to rump with… wait rump?

"What the goodness?!" For whatever reason Neptune had just up and fallen asleep on the floor with her rump currently pointed towards her younger sister, giving the young candidate a full view of… well everything. Let's just say that Neptune didn't gloat about having the nicest butt among CPU's for no reason and now Nepgear was bearing witness to that very reason. So, after taking a moment to wipe the blood that had just dripped from her nose the young candidate, for the second time that day, lifted her sister up and placed her in bed and even tucked her in for maximum comfort. After the deed was done she decided that maybe she could get some reading done while she looked after her sister, however a tug at her sleeve left her stuck in place.

"Nepgear… zzzz..." Neptune had a firm grasp around her little sister's sleeve, though it probably wouldn't take much to shake her off. Still, seeing her sister looking so at peace, Nepgear felt so... so enamored. She had never quite figured out when, but somewhere down the line she started looking at her sister differently, looking at her as a woman rather than as her older sister. Even now she still couldn- "So cute… zZzZ..." Well that was rude, Nepgear was still in the middle of an internal monologue here… wait what did she just say? "You have such a nice butt… zZz"

Was Nepgear hearing things or was she hearing things? There was always secret option three: She was hearing things! But that didn't seem very likely since she was probably just hearing things… probably… maybe… hopefully.

"And sexy… ZzZzZz..." If at this point Nepgear didn't have steam coming out of her ears she'd be very surprised. They'd probably start calling her Red Heart at the sight of her reaction to her sister's comment. But wait! She was just unconscious so it probably didn't mean anything… though she was acting really weird ever since she had woken up. Just what could have happened to have caused this? Well tomorrow Nepgear was gonna get to the bottom of this… but for now she needed some sleep… all she needed to do was get in her bed… but it felt like it was really really far so maybe…

 **-~-~-~- _Purple Lovers_ -~-~-~-**

As the purple-haired CPU of Planeptune's eyes opened she immediately noticed two things. For one, she felt absolutely amazing! And for two, Nepgear was in her bed holding onto her like she would her favorite teddy bear.

"Aww you're such a kid, Jr." She couldn't help but smile at the sight of her little sister. As her eyes started to wander they quickly settled on her clock and Neptune stared at it with a confused expression. "Did… Did I go back in time?" She could have sworn it was supposed to be a lot later than her clock said it was. Either she had somehow discovered time travel or she had slept through most of the day, but that just wasn't… actually. "Come to think of it… Why can't I remember what happened after I talked to Gusty?"

Well that just meant that she'd have to go break the news to little Gust. Although, maybe she could try another one of those potions and see if it actually does anything this time. Hopefully Gust might still have a few left, otherwise the whole thing would end up being a pointless venture and Neptune really didn't like to disappoint people… most of the time.

Either way, she had some other important things to think about too.


	4. Plot?

As Neptune put on her shoes she received quite a few stares of confusion and disbelief from everyone else in the room with her, which were Histoire and Nepgear of course.

"So you really don't remember anything that happened yesterday?" Nepgear had been surprised that her sister woke up with no recollection of the prior night, though she was also relieved that she was back to her old self again.

"Yup." Came the ever so simple answer from the elder yet shorter Nep.

"Well, if you say so..." Naturally, Histoire was the most skeptical of this situation, however, she was intent on getting to the bottom of this. "So, Neptune, where are you going so early in the morning?"

"I'm gonna go see good ol' Gust about the potion she gave me yesterday." Neptune proclaimed with her usual cheer and gave a fist pump as she finished putting on her shoes.

"Potion?" Naturally, the mention of a potion peaked Histoire's interest, same with Nepgear, as they both shared a look. "Nepgear, I would like you to accompany Neptune and find out whatever you can about this potion." The fairy oracle made sure to keep her voice quiet as she asked this task of the purple candidate.

And of course, Nepgear, being the ever agreeable little sister type gave Histoire a nod of approval and a mock-salute (because apparently a nod wasn't good enough). "Sure thing, I'm on it."

"You coming with me Jr?" As one would expect, Neptune's comment was enough to get the attention of both the oracle and her sister, looking quite taken aback to boot. Since when did Neptune develop such good hearing?

"Oh, Um yes, I'll meet you outside."

"Okey dokey." With that, the older Nep sister turned back to the door and proceeded to head outside, while Nepgear sighed, shared another look with her oracle, and went to go grab her own shoes, In that order!

In the meantime, the little oracle sighed to herself and uttered these short words, "Today is going to be a long day."

 **-~-~-~- _Purple Lovers_ -~-~-~-**

Now outside, the two siblings were making their way through the streets of Planeptune in search of the traveling alchemist slash ripoff artist known as Gust.

Or at least that's would be what would be happening if a certain CPU wasn't being… well… Neptune.

"Sis please, we can buy some pudding later." Nepgear was trying to focus on this potion that her sister had apparently drank, whereas her sister was looking through the window of every bakery they passed, which happened to be quite a few.

"Aw come on, just one?" Neptune looked at her sister with hope sparkling in her eyes, not to mention the drool coming out of her mouth. Just the sight of her pleading sister was almost enough to get Nepgear to give in.

"No means no." Almost.

"Aww," Giving in, the older sibling cast a quick glance at her beloved snacks before putting a hand to the glass, lamenting the missed opportunity. "I'll be back for you." After speaking those words, Neptune turned back to her sister and (begrudgingly) walked along in search of their friend the alchemist.

"Like I said, we can go buy some later." Luckily the prospect of some pudding later in the day was enough to restore Neptune's spirits, to which Nepgear could only smile to herself.

And so, the two sisters went back to their quest, but considering who they are, it was only a matter of time before something weird happened.

"Come one, come all!" The weird thing being a cloaked individual sitting at a table with a crystal ball in front of her. "Step right up and for a small fee, you too can have your fortune told!" As for why she was doing it in an empty street… Maybe she was just crazy… Most likely.

"Ooh, check it out Jr, that person looks like she's in a cult." Of course, it didn't take much to catch Neptune's attention, who was wearing a rather goofy grin at the sight of the fortune teller, however, the prospect of learning the future was also very intriguing to Nepgear as well.

After mulling it over for a while, Nepgear decided to have a look see what this whole fortune telling business was about.

"Ah yes, you there," As soon as Nepgear began approaching, the cloaked woman pointed a finger in the candidate's direction. "Would you like to learn your future?"

"M-me?" After looking to her sides, Nepgear pointed at herself, wanting to confirm something (something that should have been pretty obvious).

"But of course, I don't see anyone here other than you and your older sister."

"Well I guess- wait," Nepgear had almost missed that comment, but she wasn't quite as slow as her sister. "How do you know she's my older sister?" Gear wasn't the only one taken aback, Neptune herself was also quite surprised to realize this person knew something that so few people did.

"Call it a sister's intuition," The cloaked woman said… Wait, sister's intuition?

"Hmm," The young candidate wasn't entirely convinced, but at the same time, she figured it wasn't a big deal, so she decided to accept the answer and approached the fortune teller with Neptune right behind her until-

"Hold it!" The fortune teller held a hand up to stop the two before pointing a finger at Neptune. "I'm afraid that I can only tell one person's fortune at a time, so miss, if you would, please wait elsewhere until we are finished."

Nepgear turned to her sister, who in turn, rubbed the back of her head and sighed.

"Well, I guess I'll go wait over there," Neptune pointed to a nearby tree. "Just call me if things start getting weird, okay Jr?"

Said Jr, gave her sister a nod of approval before turning back to the cloaked fortune person, walked over to her, and sat down at a seat facing towards missus cloaky.

"Very well then, shall we begin?" The cloaked weirdo began closing in on her crystal ball, moving her hands around the thing and looked to be in a trance of sorts, this made Nepgear lean in a little, interested in seeing what this possible fraud might say. "I see it.

I see you and a tall very beautiful woman standing together in a field, your sister standing nearby with sword in hand." Suddenly, Nepgear felt very entranced, leaning in even further. "I see your sister falling to the ground as she calls your name."

"And… and...?" Nepgear was leaning in as far as she could.

"That'll be fifty credits please." Only to flop onto the ground and out of her seat.

"Wha! Just for that?!"

"I'm joking, the first one's free. Now let us continue shall we."

"Mmmm." Pouting at the cloaked jokester, Nepgear let out a huff as she got back in her seat and the woman went back to her crystal ball.

"Let's see here..." After a few more moments of waving her hands around the ball like a total weirdo, missus cloaky- ("Stop calling me weird things!") Missus fortune teller looked back at her now confused fortune tellee. "What sort of relationship do you have with your sister?"

"Huh?" Taken aback for a moment, the candidate asked the obvious question. "Why do you ask?"

"I would simply like to know before I tell you what I've seen is all."

"W-well, we're really close, I wouldn't trade her for anything." Nepgear's answer was quick and without hesitation.

"I see, but does your sister feel the same way?"

"T-that's..." Taken aback by the question, the candidate stopped for a moment to truly ponder her answer. "O-of course she-"

"How can you be so sure?" Not letting the candidate finish, the cloaked woman continued. "Has there ever been a time where it felt like she didn't?"

"..." Once again stopping to ponder, Nepgear quickly recalled the time she'd spent in the Ultradimension, all the times she'd been the butt of the joke, all the times she'd been ignored, and all the times she was left alone, all because of her sister. All because of Neptune. But… that shouldn't matter now should it? Neptune was trying to make up for all that… Although she wasn't trying very hard. The most she'd done was throw Nepgear a birthday party with some friends, all the while she was busy doing something else entirely… Barely even paying Nepgear much attention...

"Well?"

The cloaked woman's voice brought Nepgear out of her thoughts and back to reality. "… I… I'm sure..." The candidate's voice came out weaker than she'd intended.

"You're sure of what? For all you know she might just be acting like that in some vain attempt to make it seem like she cares."

"I… I need to go, my sister's waiting!" Lifting herself from her seat the candidate turned back to where her sister had gone and began to walk away… before she stopped and looked back at the fortune teller, but to her surprise, she wasn't there. "Huh?" As Nepgear stood there confused, she completely missed the speeding streak of green zooming through the sky. "I… I should go." She said to no one in particular.

Once again turning to leave, Nepgear set off, trying her hardest to push those unwanted thoughts out of her mind. There's just no way Neptune would feel that way was there…?

But even still, those thoughts kept creeping their way back to the forefront of her head as she made her way back to Neptune.

"Oh hey Nep Jr, how'd it go?"

"Huh, oh hey Gear."

 **-~-~-~- _Purple Lovers_ -~-~-~-**

As Neptune waited, she realized something. It was really boring waiting by herself. At least if someone was around she'd have someone to talk to, but this was just so BORING!

"Oh, It's you Nep."

Being roused out of her boredom, the CPU looked over at the source of that voice, a voice she knew rather well.

"Compa told me about what happened yesterday, shouldn't you be at the basillicom resting?" It was none other than IF the plot dev-er I mean, Guild Agent… yeah.

"Iffy, how's it going?" Completely ignoring her friend's question, the CPU flashed her friend a smile, accompanied by a wave of her hand.

"I'm fine, but what about you?" IF sauntered over to her chum, looking her over all the while as if trying to discern whether the girl really was okay or not.

"Aw come on, I'm fine, why does everyone keep asking?" The purplette waved (more like flailed) her arms about, it was getting a bit annoying how people kept asking her if she was okay.

"Probably because you passed out and started acting weird after you woke up." IF, of course responded with her usual deadpan stare and response.

"Aw come on, I don't even remember that."

"You don't? Then that's just even more reason to go back to the basillicom."

"No can do, Iffy, I've got plans for today," As the words left Neptune's mouth, her friend gave her a rather stern look, to which Neptune took a step back. "I-I'm serious Iffy!"

"What could be so important that you'd risk your own health for it, why are you even out here in the first place?" The guild agent crossed her arms as she kept up her stern expression.

"Well, I gotta go see Gusty about a potion she gave me, but that's beside the point," A potion? That certainly got IF's attention and gave her an idea as to what might have happened yesterday (since unlike Neptune she actually used her brain on a regular basis), but she was more interested by the "that's beside the point" remark. "I gotta talk to some people about my surprise party for Nep Jr!"

"Surprise party? Wasn't her birthday a few days ago, Isn't it a little late for a party?"

"No no, It's for something else."

"What else could you wanna celebrate that involves Nepgear?"

"Well..." Neptune took a moment to look around, making sure no one was around to hear. "Today's the anniversary of when Nep Jr saved my life." With her hands on her hips, the CPU put on a confident smile, although the answer only seemed to confuse IF even further.

"What are you talking about?" The brunette tilted her head in confusion, returning to her usual deadpan stare.

"Well, back when I was fighting in the Console War, I almost bit the big one. The only reason I'm still alive is because I kept thinking about Nep Jr's face… It's kinda silly I know, but I'm the protagonist here, we gotta have some silly sappy stuff in our past, it's a requirement."

Aside from the "silly sappy stuff" comment, IF seemed genuinely surprised by her friend's words. Since when was Neptune such a caring sister? "So you wanna throw her a party for-"

"For being around," The CPU pumped a fist in the air and flashed her friend a toothy grin. "Besides, I do kinda owe her an apology for all of that stuff that happened in Plutia's dimension."

"I'd say you owe her more than just an apology for all of that." IF's comment elicited a wince from the CPU, good, that meant that she remembered that she was still in the dog house because of it.

"And that's why I'm gonna spend the whole afternoon making it up to her," Neptune still felt quite guilty about treating her sister like that, heck nobody was really planning on letting her forget. Histoire scolded her about it, Compa scolded her about it, IF even scolded her about it, after bonking her on the head of course.

Nepgear on the other hand had gotten off light, she received a few words of encouragement from Histoire, Compa, and a lecture on the importance of being independent and how she wasn't helping Neptune by being so childish by IF. Either way, both girls clearly had some growing up to do, Neptune more so than Nepgear, but at least they were trying, 'trying' being the key word.

"Well I guess I should be glad that you're actually trying, but if you really feel guilty then why didn't you just make it up to her on her on her birthday? You weren't even there most of the time." IF waved her hands in front of her as if to accentuate her point, but to her surprise, Neptune did indeed have a reason for not being there.

"Well I got a call from the carnival people and they said they were running a bit short on supplies so I figured I might as well go help em out," To this, IF's eyes widened slightly as she took in her friends answer. "Besides, I figured that if I wanted to make things up to Jr then I should do it myself when its just the two of us. I just hope she likes it" Neptune kicked at the ground with her hands behind her back as she finished explaining herself.

"Wow… I guess you really do feel bad about it huh?" The brunette rubbed the back of her head, not having expected such an answer. "But if that's what happened then you should have asked for help."

"I wanted to, but you guys looked like you were having so much fun so I didn't wanna be a party pooper." The CPU shrugged as she spoke.

"Well I'll be damned," Once again IF's eyes widened a little in surprise before a wry smile on her lips. "Y'know, sometimes I feel like I don't really know you, one moment you're acting like a spoiled kid and the next you're being a responsible older sister. Just make sure you stay like this from now on, ya hear." IF seriously doubted that Neptune would go back to mistreating her little sister if she was this determined to patch things up with her, but you can never be too careful with someone like Neptune.

"You betcha." In reply, the purple-haired CPU gave her friend a mock salute, as if to say "you got it boss", or something like that.

"Good. Anyway, what was this about a potion?" Hoping to get some more info, IF steered the conversation back to this potion from Gust that Neptune was talking about.

"Oh yeah, you see yesterday Gusty gave me this potion she said she wanted me try out and-" Neptune stopped suddenly, taking a look to the side to see her very own sister walking towards her. "Oh hey Nep Jr, how'd it go?"

"Huh, oh hey Gear." Putting on a friendly smile, the guild agent waved towards the approaching candidate, however, she noticed that something seemed a bit off about her.

"Oh, hello Miss IF, sis." Although Neptune didn't notice anything wrong with her sister, IF certainly had and was growing quite concerned.

"Hey, are you okay, you look a little-"

"Huh, I'm fine." Gear replied while waving her arms frantically, though it only seemed to make IF even more skeptical.

"Are you sure Jr, that cloaky lady didn't do anything weird to you did she?" To IF's surprise, Neptune was the one who spoke up, and while she did want to ask about what Neptune meant by "cloaky lady", she didn't have much time to be dawdling around asking questions all day.

"Yes, I'm fine." Although Neptune wasn't entirely satisfied with her sister's reply, she figured that pressing the matter wouldn't be such a good idea, so for the time being she let it drop.

"Well if you say so, now come on Jr, we gots to go find us an alchemist," With that, the shorter girl grabbed her sister's arm and proceeded to take the lead in their search for said rip-off alchemist. "See ya Iffy!" Stopping for a moment, the CPU gave her friend a wave as her sister did the same.

"Goodbye Miss IF."

"See ya guys!" After IF gave the two a wave of her own, the sisters quickly went back on their way, leaving IF on her own. "I'm gonna have to look into these potions after work, I just hope Nep doesn't do anything too stupid in the meantime." She said to no one in particular before getting back to heading to the guild to report for duty.

Meanwhile the two sisters were making their way around Planeptune once more, Neptune looking pretty excited for the events to come later that day, completely unaware of the thoughts creeping through her sister's mind.

"For all you know she might just be acting like that in some vain attempt to make it seem like she cares."

There's no way… right…?

 **-~-~-~- _Purple Lovers_ -~-~-~-**

Meanwhile up above the skies of Planeptune a certain busty CPU began to slow down as she approached land and undid her transformation, landing gracefully on her feet as she did.

Vert let out a sigh as she thought back on her actions, almost feeling a little regretful as she did as she spoke to herself. "I'm sorry about this Neptune, but you are not worthy to call herself your sister. But worry not, I would be more than happy to fill that role in your stead." Giving herself a few words of reassurance, the busty CPU quickly headed off to find the two purple-haired sisters, getting ready to initiate the next phase of her plan.

By the end of this day, she would be Nepgear's older sister and no one else.


	5. Don't Drink That!

After the business with the fortune-teller, the two sisters of purple found themselves walking through the streets of Planeptune in search of their friend the alchemist. The only problem was that Nepgear was being rather distant throughout most of the time the two walked together. Nepgear had thought that she was hiding it rather well, but Neptune was not the dullest tool in the shed, she was just an exceptionally dull one.

As it stood, Neptune knew something was wrong, but the problem was that she didn't know how to go about cheering up her little sis. She'd been acting so distant ever since the two had parted ways with that weirdo fortune-teller. She didn't wanna press her sister to tell her what was wrong, but maybe that might be the only way to go right now.

Of course, completely unbeknownst to Neptune, Nepgear couldn't get her mind off of what that fortune-teller had said. Try as she might, the candidate was unable to shake off the thought that her sister might have just been pretending to care about her to get everyone off her back. She tried to be optimistic about it, but the little devil on her shoulder kept getting louder and louder while her little angel's voice was about at loud as a whisper.

Nepgear was trying her best to look optimistic, but it only went as far as her outward appearance. Inside she was still trying to defend her sister, but coming up short at every turn. It was getting increasingly difficult to defend Neptune, but there was still a small part of her that wanted to believe in her, believe that she'd do something to prove she cared.

Either way, the two sister found themselves walking together in silence, both unsure of how to proceed. The silence was completely unbearable, anyone who's name started with Nep shouldn't be so silent and depressing. There was very little Nep could… Wait, if Neptune's eyes weren't deceiving her then...

"I spy with my little eye, something very Gusty." Yes indeed, the duo had finally fulfilled their objective of finding the traveling alchemist Gust, who was currently setting up shop in the same place Neptune had found her yesterday. Hopefully a visit with their ol' pal Gusty would serve to brighten up Nepgear's spirits, Neptune sure hoped it would. "Hey, Gusty!"

"Oh. Greetings, Lady Neptune" The short alchemist waved at the approaching CPU and Candidate. "How did potion work out?"

"It was awesome! Except I don't remember what happened after I got home though." Neptune's response earned her a rather deadpan stare from the short alchemist with some confusion mixed into it as well.

"… What?" To say that Gust was confused would be an understatement, so, in the hope of getting some form of clarification, the alchemist turned to Nepgear. "What she mean?"

"Oh, w-well, she passed out after she got home." The candidate's response only served to confuse the alchemist even further, and if Nepgear hadn't been poking her finger together while talking she might've noticed that. " When she woke up she started acting strange, but she did fall asleep pretty early and when she woke up this morning she said she couldn't remember anything that happened the night before."

"That… Certainly unexpected." The short girl put a hand to her chin, thinking on the matter for a minute. Her potion was supposed to revitalize the body and boost a persons awareness levels to allow them to fight better. If her potion had some sort of side-effect she didn't know about then she needed to know as soon as possible so she could figure out a way to make a profit off of it. "You mentioned Lady Neptune was acting strange. Could you explain?"

Nepgear looked to her sister, then to Gust, deciding that maybe talking with someone she knew might help take her mind off the words the fortune-teller spoke. She closed the distance between herself and the alchemist and leaned in and whispered into Gust's ear. "She was really clingy towards me and she was acting a lot more pervy than usual." Although Nepgear didn't really mind the extra attention too much… At least not at the time.

"I see. Will have to do some tests to fully understand potions full effects." Gust on the other hand was already coming up with a mental list of ideas on how she could make more money with this. Unfortunately for the two present…

"Hey Gusty, is it alright if I have another one of these." Taking one's eyes off of Neptune, even if only for a moment, was never a good idea.

"Have wha- Wait no!"

"Huh? Wait! Sis!"

Too little too late did the two realize that Neptune had grabbed another of Gust's experimental potions and glugged it down in mere seconds.

"Hah, that's some good stuff you got there, Gusty." The duo of Gear and Gust could only offer deadpan stares to the CPU of Planeptune. "I'm feeling better alrea..."

Although their deadpan stares quickly changed to a mixture of confusion and a bit of worry. Neptune just stopped talking all of a sudden, which is rarely ever a good sign with someone as energetic as Neptune.

"S-sis? Are you-"

"Nepgear!" All of her worries gave way for surprise as Neptune glomped the taller purplette.

"Ah! What the goodness!" It was just like last night all over again, except this time she didn't need three guesses to figure out the cause. "I knew it." She said while trying to push back her sister.

"Interesting." Gust on the other hand, watched the scene playing out with great interest. "Gust will need to do many tests on potion to see what could be going on."

"Please do. I don't know if I can take this for much-"

"Oh my, would you like some assistance?" Gear turned her head to see the source of the voice coming from none other than…

"Oh. Hello Miss Ver- Sis, please stop!" The sight she was witnessing was certainly confusing, but for Vert, it was also very worrisome for her foolproof (in her head) plans. Either way, she did her best to hide it as she pried Neptune off of Nepgear.

"It seems- Hnnngh!" And in Vert's defense, it was kind of hard to talk while trying to stop an excited Neptune… It was really just difficult to stop Neptune in general, but that's beside the point. "As though- Rrrrgh!" Vert spoke through grunts, until she finally succeeded in getting the older Nep off of her sister. "Phew- You're having quite a fun time." Although in order to stop the purple CPU she had to grab hold of her and was now carrying the girl the same way one might carry a football (or something like that). Although trying to hold back a riled up Nep… Well, you know.

"Hey! Lemme go, Vert! Junior! Help!" It's a more herculean task than trying to play that glitch-fest of a game about that blue hedgehog that came out in '06. The CPU struggled and squirmed and reached out to her beloved little sister with a look of longing on her face. "Come on, Junior please! I love you!'

"Eh!" That response had taken Vert by surprise, actually, it took everyone by surprise, but none more than Nepgear.

"W-what the goodness?!" It made Nepgear feel so conflicted. Did Neptune really mean it? Or… Or was she just saying that to get Nepgear to do what she wanted… Either way, it still made Nepgear feel a little weak in the knees to hear the object of her affection say those words. In fact, if this were any other day, Nepgear would definitely help her sister out, but today… Today she wasn't so sure that would be a good idea.

"Come on, Junior, please! I love you, I'll even give you my pudding if you help me out." To help or not to help, that is the question going through Gear's mind at the moment. With the thoughts racing through her head, she couldn't be sure Neptune actually meant those words. "Pleeease, Jr." And if Neptune hadn't unzipped her sweater to show off some skin, then Nepgear definitely wouldn't be helping like she was now (she probably wouldn't have such a massive nosebleed either).

"W-well, I guess I should help, b-but only if you behave, sis." To which the older Nep nodded vigorously as Vert put her down. It only took less than a second before Neptune had Nepgear's arm looped around her own. "What the goodness! Sis, please control yourself!"

"Interesting." Of course, Gust was watching with great interest, her eyes almost seemed to turn into credits as she watched the sight unfolding. Vert on the other hand…

"This isn't good." She muttered under her breath, she was starting to believe that her plan may not have been as well laid out as she had hoped. It was simple, if a little cruel, but she was sure it would work out in her favor in the end, but now she wasn't so sure. She had hoped that her words during that fortune-teller act would be enough, but that look on Nepgear's face made it clear that Vert would need to push a bit further. She didn't really like doing this, but she firmly believed that she would be a much better sister to her than Neptune could ever be, as such, her guilt would have to take the back seat for now.

"Say, Verty, what'cha doing' here anyway?" Asked Neptune, looking over at the blonde CPU who was taken aback for a second before quickly composing herself.

"Oh. I was actually on my way to see you two, but I got so distracted by the game shops that I ended up losing track of time." It was a good thing Neptune was gullible or otherwis-

"Ooh, did something happen?" Or maybe Vert just didn't give Neptune enough credit, either that or the potion she just saw the girl drink must've resurrected a few of her brain cells. It was hard to tell sometimes with the girl, however, the real reason, unbeknownst to Vert was that Histoire had been making Neptune play puzzle games to help stimulate her brain. Luckily enough, it had actually helped out a lot more than Histoire could have imagined, but sadly, Vert was completely unaware of this fact.

"Do I need an excuse to come visit my favorite gaming partner?" Sadly all those extra puzzle games didn't help her become any less gullible.

"Coolios, but sorry to tell ya, but I got plans for today." Hopefully Gear wouldn't mind an impromptu visit to the outskirts of Planeptune for some fun at the carnival, otherwise the plan to make it up to Nepgear would fail miserably. After all, Neptune and Failure simply did not go together, it just doesn't sound right.

"Y-you do?" Granted, since Nepgear didn't know about the carnival visit her sister had planned, she felt like she was being abandoned in a way. Her expression also changed to one of disappointment.

"Oh did I say I have plans? I meant to say we have plans." Neptune's response was certainly one that had taken Nepgear aback, as well as Vert, who was now coming to realize that she would need to make up some new plans very quickly before she lost her chance at winning over Nepgear.

"Huh…?" This was certainly a welcome surprise to the young candidate, though for Vert...

"Oh, but if you two are going out together, then who am I supposed to play with?" Vert was doing her best to remain the picture of calmness, but it was getting harder with her plans so quickly falling apart right in front of her.

" Oh that's cool, you can come with us, Verty-poo." Chance!

"Really? You wouldn't mind?" This was a great chance Vert needed to rethink her plans and there was no way she was gonna pass it up.

"Sure, the more the merrier." Suddenly, hearing that made Vert feel a lot lighter, almost as if the heavens were on her side, almost as if the true goddess herself wanted her to succeed.

"Excuse me." Chimed in Gust, not wanting to be forgotten. "Gust has business to run… So" She said while pointing her gloved hand towards… A line of people that had apparently been forming while the CPU's talked amongst themselves.

"I… I see. I suggest we move this conversation elsewhere, ladies." The two aforementioned ladies both responded to Vert by nodding in unison, with Neptune still clinging to her little sisters arm, because… Potions. It didn't really take long for them to skeedadle, but they still had the decency to wave goodbye to their friend the alchemist.

"Bye, Gusty!"

"Goodbye Miss Gust."

"Farewell."

"Yes yes, goodbye." Gust didn't mean to be rude, but with so many walking credits- er, customers lining up, it would be especially rude not to take their money when they're so eager to give it away in exchange for potions. Granted, they wouldn't be so willing to give away all that money if those potions weren't so darn effective and helpful, so win win for everyone.

One the flip side, Neptune and gang were making their way back to the basilicom and Vert may or may not have been looking really dejected seeing Neptune clinging to Gear like she was. Neptune didn't really pay it any attention, but what she should have been paying more attention to was her own sister, who just so happened to be blushing a little bit.

Behind her blush, many many thoughts were going through the young candidate's mind at the moment. She was still feeling so very conflicted on what to think. She loved getting her sister's attention, but there was still a voice telling her that Neptune was only doing it to trick her, to use her. Needless to say, it wasn't a very pleasant train of thought and she was just hoping that whatever it was that her sister had planned would silence those unnecessary voices once and for all.

"H-hey sis?" Nepgear said while adjusting her arm a bit to make herself a bit more comfortable since it looked like Neptune wasn't gonna let go of her arm any time soon.

"What's up Jr?" Chimed the short older sister.

"What exactly is it were going to be doing today?" Asked the younger sister.

"Oh, it's supposed to be a secret, but I think it'll be okay to tell you." Indeed, Neptune had wanted to keep her surprise as a secret, but right now she just felt so excited right now that she could hardly contain herself. "We're gonna go to the carnival later today."

"The carnival you say?" Chimed Vert, already thinking of possible ideas for her new plan to seperate the two sisters. It might be tricky, but she already had a few ideas on how to use this situation to her advantage. "That sounds rather fun."

"A c-carnival?" That was certainly a welcome surprise to Nepgear, especially since the carnival was going to be ending pretty soon. Not to mention that Nepgear rarely ever got to go to any carnivals to begin with so it was rather exciting to be going to one. Heck, she was so excited that she didn't even mind her sister clinging to her arm like she was, and maybe it was just her imagination, but that negative voice in her head seemed a lot quieter all of a sudden.

"Yup, we're gonna be spending the whole afternoon there~" Said the purple CPU in a sing-songy fashion. Under normal circumstances Neptune would probably try a little harder to keep that a secret so she could surprise Nepgear. However, spilling the beans had actually worked in her favor a lot better than Neptune could have ever realized.

Now if only they could stay that way…


	6. The Potion!

"Hmm." Gust put a hand to her chin as she ran tests upon her odd potion within one of the labs at the guild. Throughout her days spent wandering about tha lands of Gamindustri she had never come across something like this potion that she had somehow created. Something about this potion seemed to have some very strange effects that even Gust herself could not have expected... Because she still didn't know what it did... Yeah.

"So... Any progress?" Came a voice from behind the short as heck alchemist. As Gust turned she looked up at the taller figure of IF. IF had shown up to bring little Gust to the guild so they could have her wonky potions analyzed. Apparently IF just couldn't get her mind off of what the purple sisters had said so she asked her superiors if she could take the day off so she could figure out this little mystery as soon as possible.

"Sadly no." Even Gust with all of her amazing skills with potions and alchemy couldn't crack the code of this potion. "But Gust have one idea of how to solve this."

"What is- Hmph" IF couldn't really finish that thought, but having a potion shoved into her mouth would do that to her. "What the hell was that for?!" The brunette hastily removed the vial that had been so rudely shoved into her mouth.

"No other way to discern potion's effects." The alchemist gave a shrug which earned her a scowl from the guild agent standing in front of her.

"What do you mean 'no other way?!'" IF could think of several other ways to go about this. "There has to have been a better way."

"Probably, but this faster and more efficient." Gust wasn't necessarily wrong, but it was still rather irksome that she would do that to IF without her consent. "So, how do you feel?"

"So you're just gonna ignore the whole invasion of privacy?" Leave it to Gust to get on with business and ignore almost everything else. "Well... I feel a bit more energetic than normal, but nothing too special. Though I will admit that that potion certainly works a lot faster than I was expecting it to."

"Gust will take that as compliment." The short alchemist was practically gleaming with pride knowing that she still had the same amazing potion brewing skills as ever.

"Well now what? Am I gonna start going all gaga over the next person I see like Neptune probably did?" Asked the brunette.

"It is a possibility." Responded the shorter brunette. "Do you feel anything else?"

"Not really, no." It was actually quite strange. Nepgear had told IF that Neptune had started to act very strange after drinking one of these new potions that Gust had made, but right now she felt fine. Then again, for all IF knew the full effects just weren't kicking in just yet and she'd end up turning into a really clingy girl to the next person she saw.

"Hmm..." Not knowing what else to do, Gust cupped a hand to her chin and thought on what her next course of action should be. "Gust is stumped." Only to give up pretty darn quickly after only a few seconds of thought. Seriously, that was way too quick darn it.

"Iffy, I'm here." A familiar voice ring out, soon revealing itself to be the voice of the nurse-in-training Compa.

"Oh, good to see you again." Came the ever so friendly greeting from the alchemist.

"Oh hey Comp-" IF was about to say hello, but seemed to go silent as her eyes settled on the peach-haired nurse. "C-c-c-co-"

"I-iffy? Is something wrong?" Compa stared at the guild agent with a confused and somewhat worried expression. Perhaps Compa had missed something before she walked in... Probably. Gust was also beginning to look rather confused, but for different reasons than Compa.

"S-so C-c-compa, w-what are y-you doing here s-so early?" Compa was indeed early, but she was more worried about IF at the moment. Why was her face starting to turn red all of a sudden? Why was she getting all shaky? Why was she staring at Compa with such wide eyes?

"Oh, well I asked if I could get off work a bit early so I could come see you. I'm really worried about Nep-ne-"

"M-m-m-m-me?!" The brunette pointed a finger at herself incredulously, almost as if she couldn't believe what was going on. This action only served to worry Compa and confuse Gust even more so than they were before now.

"Hmm..." While Gust was still a bit weirded out by this whole scenario with IF acting like such a nervous wreck she couldn't help but wonder if maybe, just maybe, it was her potion that was causing this absurd reaction from IF. Calming herself down, the short alchemist went over what she knew to see if she could put the pieces of this messy puzzle together.

Neptune took the potion and started acting very clingy towards Nepgear and was acting previer than usual. Now IF had drunk the potion and had started to act extremely shy and bashful the moment Compa showed up... But what do these two incidents have in common? That was the one thing Gust just couldn't figure out. There was definitely a piece missing to this puzzle that she was missing. Now if she could just figure it out then she could start finding ways to make a profit off of her potion.

"Hmm..." Gust continued to think, coming up with other possible solutions to this enigma that seemed to be taunting her. "Hmmmmmmmm..." Think harder Gust. Harder. "Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm..." HARDER YOU MAGGOT! "HMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM... Gust needs air."

Compa was now wearing the most confused look on her face she'd had in a long time. First Iffy started acting really shy and jittery and then Gust started making the same noises that Histy makes when she's constipated (don't ask how she knows that). "Uh... Am I missing something here?"

Meanwhile Gust proceeded to exit the lab room that she was just in, but had decided to take a few potions with her in case she got some brilliant idea she wanted to test out. Either way this whole endeavor felt like it had been a colossal waste of time, but maybe she'd get lucky or something, who knows. It could happen... But probably not considering the luck she'd been having thus far.

"There you are, sidekick!" Gust turned to face the owner of that familiar voice. There was only one person who would ever call Gust "sidekick" and the alchemist was really not in the mood to have to deal with their boundless energy. "It is I, Nisa, the heroine of-"

"Busy. Doing research. Bye." Nisa's smile faltered as Gust turned her back to her and proceeded to walk away as if she was walking away from a really weird stranger she wanted nothing to do with. Luckily, being the awesome defender of justice she was, Nisa recovered from that little action very quickly and followed after the short alchemist. Nisa wouldn't be much of a heroine if she let herself be bothered by some people treating her like the psycho that she most certainly was.

"Wait up, Gusty!" Gust could only relent, knowing that Nisa was probably going to follow her regardless of what she did. It was very hard to get away from Nisa, but on the plus side, the psycho heroine certainly knew how to draw in a crowd. Crowds which were usually very interested in buying some of Gust's wares more often than not. "Where have you been this past week? I couldn't find you anywhere."

"Gust has work. Merchandise to sell." Even though she knew she could make even more money if she went with Nisa, Gust didn't really have enough energy to deal with the blunette for too long. A good week away from the psychopathic lover of justice and all that is good could only be a good thing.

"Oh come on Gusty. I can help you sell this stuff. All you need is heaping helping of charismatic-"

"Don't you dare say-"

"Justice!" To which Gust's response was the act of her palm driving itself upward into her face, or as is it more well-known around the world "The Facepalm".

"Justice does not put bread on table. Credits do." Although Nisa wasn't entirely sure if she agreed with that fact.

"You are still so naive, dear Gusty. Without the passionate flames of justice all you are left with is cold and only somewhat tasty bread." How does Nisa even come up with this nonsense? "But when your heart burns with the unstoppable embers of heroism and brilliance you will find that they act as the sweet butter on the bread of life."

"..." ... The justice is strong in this one. So strong in facts that it caused Gust to stop and look at Nisa with a look that could only ever be described as Deadpan.

"Oh yeah, that reminds me." Suddenly reaching into her jumpsuit, the blunette heroine of justice produced a note. "Our friend, Cave is in dire need of a potion to help relieve some of her stress."

"Oh." Hearing that seemed to be enough to catch Gust's attention and perk her right back up almost instantly. IF and Compa could wait a while right? "Sounds inter-"

"Then let us be off at once!" Without even letting the poor alchemist finish, the justice-crazed heroine proceeded to drag the short girl and took off like a rocket in the direction where Cave was supposed to be.

"Gah! Let... Oh forget it."

"Did you say something, Gusty?"

Just an ordinary day in the life of a heroine and an alchemist.

 **-~-~-~- _Purple Lovers_ -~-~-~-**

"Basically I just need something to keep my energy up since Lyrica will be doing a show in Planeptune in a month or so." Said Cave as she gazed upon an out-of-breath Gust and a slightly disheveled Nisa. "By the way, how did you two end up in that state?"

"Because someone said they heard a cry for help that sounded like puppies, but turned out to be pack of wolves!" The short alchemist then proceeded to glare daggers at the heroine of justice, earning her a flinch and step back from said heroine.

"C-come on Gusty, I can't just ignore someone's cries for help."

"How do you confuse sound of puppies for wolves?!" Needless to say, Gust was more than a little annoyed at how things had somehow turned out so far. "But that aside," Luckily for Nisa, Gust was more interested in making some profit than staying angry about a slight detour. "Gust has plenty of potions suitable for friends needs." Now it was time to get back to business, which also meant rubbing one's hands together like a greedy little bunny rabbit.

"Any will do, so long as they can keep me going." Cave replied, being the ever so dutiful picture of stoicism she was.

"Understood, then Gust will look and see what she has available." Replied the short alchemist. At the very least, this served as a good distraction from the whole mess with the purple sisters as well as IF and Compa. "Gust will only need a minute or so to find one in inventory." And so, without wasting any more valuable time, the alchemist dug through her inventory like never before, even though she does this every time she's with a client, but that's not important. What's important is that Cave tends to pays better than most other clients.

"Why not just use this one?" Nisa said while Gust was still busy digging through her potions, but if Gust had stopped to look immediately instead of rummaging through her goods then she might've noticed Nisa holding up one of those potions that Neptune and IF drank. She'd also be rather mad that Nisa would actually snag one Gust's potions while she wasn't looking, but that's beside the point.

"Gust almost done looking, just one more second and... Wait."

"I suppose I can give it a try."

"What are you-" Too little too late had Gust realized the error of her mistakes. She could only watch in deadpan stare as Cave downed the whole potion in a matter of seconds. "... Gust needs vacation."

"Oh, not bad. I feel much better already." That potion gave quite the boost. In fact, Cave would say it was probably one of Gust's best concoctions so far.

"That one not for sale yet." While hearing that had been slightly disappointing to Cave, the special forces agent still remained as stoic as ever so Gust couldn't really tell.

"I see, then I suppose I will have to make do with whatever else you have to offer then." The redette then proceeded to hand Gust the empty vial that had once contained the same liquid that had been drank by two other girls already, which the alchemist then placed into her inventory.

"Ow!" Oh and Gust also kicked Nisa in the shin as payback for taking a potion without even asking.

"Don't take potions without asking first." The short girl then shot another glare towards the loony of a heroine. Nisa seemed to get the message and shot Gust an apologetic and somewhat awkward smile.

"Hey Cave, have you seen my guitar?" A familiar caught the attention of everyone in the room as a certain blue-haired idol poke her head through the door. "I can't seem to find it anywhere."

Cave was all ready to reply, but... "I believe I last saw it in..." She went silent as she turned her head to look at the blunette idol 5pb. This also seemed to grab Gust's attention as the short alchemist was starting to feel a sense of deja vu all over again. Perhaps this might give her the information she needed, but then again... It might not since she still had yet to find a connection in what was going on with her potion and everyone who drank it.

"Uh, Cave. Are you feeling alright?" 5pb's expression turned to one of concern alongside Nisa as both girls approached the now-silent redhead.

"I..." Cave's expression was unreadable, her hair covering her eyes with shadows. "I need to tell you something."

Everyone leaned in closer, rather curious to know what was going on, Gust was especially interested in what Cave had to say. Actually, if Gust wasn't imagining things then she could swear that Cave had a very faint, almost invisible tint of red blush on her cheeks."

"I think I have feelings for you."

...

...

...

Blushing faces and shouts of surprise all around.

"Eh?!" Nisa was especially taken aback by the sudden confession, almost falling over herself as she jumped back a bit.

"Wha?!" 5pb on the other hand had gained an especially fierce blush on her face as Cave's words began to sink in.

"..." Gust on the other hand was wide-eyed, her mind beginning to come up with various theories and other possibilities for how this little event may have just given her the answer she needed. "Gust would like to ask something."

"I don't know what to- huh?" 5pb was trying to think of some way to reply, but Gust decided to get between her and Cave for whatever reason.

"Wha? Uh..." Needless to say, Cave felt that it was a bit awkward to suddenly ask a question after someone had just confessed.

"Gusty! That's very rude. You can't just interrupt someone in the middle of a confession. It is not acceptable behavior for a heroine of-"

"How long have you felt this way towards 5pb?" Ignoring Nisa, Gust asked the question on her mind and awaited what could possibly be the answer to this riddle of a situation she somehow found herself in the midst of. Of course, Cave still found this very awkward.

"I-I've felt this way ever since 5pb's second concert." Cave awkwardly answered, garnering 5pb's attention.

"My second concert? Wasn't that when you and I talked about our families and friends?" The blunette idol walked around Gust, who was starting to realize that maybe there was a connection to all this madness, and over to her guardian and protector.

"Y-yes." The blush on Cave's face started to spread like wildfire. "Talking to you at that time made me feel so at ease."

"I-I feel the same way." Cave looked up to meet the idol gaze with her own. "It was nice being able to talk with you like that. I was also really happy to have someone that actually wanted to listen to me talk about myself like that."

"W-well, I have rarely ever enjoyed my work as much as I did while acting as your bodyguard." Although Cave wasn't quite sure where this might lead, she knew that getting all of this off of her chest certainly made her feel much better.

"T-to be honest, I've never really thought of you... In that way..." Those words made Cave's heart sink, but... "B-but, I think I'd be willing to see if I might change my mind." Those words certainly served to lift her spirits almost instantly.

"R-really?" When 5pb nodded her head 'yes' Cave felt like butterflies in her belly were fluttering about gleefully. She was so overcome with joy in fact, that she did the only thing she could think to do, which just so happened to be locking the blue-haired into a very memorable embrace, one fueled by joy.

"Aww, isn't that nice, Gus-" Nisa was really happy for her friends, but when she tried to talk to Gust she realized that the short alchemist wasn't even there anymore. The blue-haired heroine began looking around awkwardly before noticing that the door was still ajar. Realizing that she was probably not needed here anymore, the heroine dashed out the door and soon found Gust outside scribbling notes all over a notepad.

"Hey Gusty what was-"

"Eureka!" Nisa jumped at the sudden exclamation while Gust held her pencil in the air triumphantly. While it was still technically just a theory, Gust finally had a good idea of what the potion could do.

While it was still a bit of a stretch, Gust theorized that it brought out dormant emotions, specifically romantic ones that people held towards others. It made sense, IF did show signs of being interested in Compa in the past. Cave had inadvertently presented Gust with a very crucial piece of the puzzle. The puzzle that held the answer on how this new potion could be used to rake in the credits.

"Potion brings out feelings of love." Yes. Yes it all made sense.

"Wha? Didn't you say that Lady Purple Heart drank one of those?"

"..." Nisa's honest reply certainly got Gust to shut up. How the heck did she somehow forget about those two? Wouldn't... Wouldn't that mean that Lady Neptune was... In love with her little sister?

"Uh, Gusty? You okay?" Even as Nisa waved her hand in front of Gust's face, she got no response, completely unaware of what was going through Gust's head at the moment.

"..."

Who would've thought. Lady Neptune must have somehow developed feelings for her own sister... And she probably didn't even realize it yet.


	7. The Revelation!

Neptune was in love with Nepgear and she probably didn't even realize it. Based on what Gust had just seen of her new potion's effects that would be the most logical conclusion, granted she'd most likely have to do a few more tests if she wanted to be One hundred percent certain. But Lady Neptune aside, this tremendously groundbreaking news in that Gust was already formulating dozens upon dozens of ways she could profit off of this new venture. Although, since Neptune did have a hand in helping Gust figure all of this out, Gust would at least let her know about this free of charge. After all, even Gust had her own principles to follow and she had no intentions of turning her back on them.

Although uh… As much as Gust wanted to go inform Neptune about this startling new revelation at once, she still had a business to run. Not to mention that she'd need some time to properly start marketing her latest product so she could start raking in the credits as soon as possible. It made for a very difficult choice that Gust had to make that would inevitably result in something unsavory if she chose one or the other. Just how was Gust even supposed to-

"Hey Gusty, aren't you gonna call Lady Neptune and tell her what you told me?" Came the ever so innocent question from the ally of justice, Nisa.

"Gust is busy… wait..." What was it that Nisa said? "What was it you said?"

"Aren't you gonna call Lady Neptune and tell her about this?" And suddenly, with only a few words out of the blunette's mouth, Gust felt like a total idiot. It would only take a few minutes to call up the purple-haired CPU and tell her all of this, and yet somehow, Gust didn't seem to have the mental capacity to think of taking out her phone and dialing Neptune's number. Although in her defense, spending too much time with Nisa often lead to decreased mental activity and a few dead brain cells.

"R-right, will get right on that." And after taking a moment to facepalm herself, Gust did just that. She took her phone out and searched through her contacts until she found Neptune's number after a short while of searching.

And so, with phone in hand the short alchemist dialed up the purple-haired CPU to pass on the news. Although it was somewhat annoying to hear Nisa was still prattling on about how she couldn't believe this and how maybe there was a mistake, but Gust didn't really care. Now if only Nisa could just quiet down for a few seconds while Gust-

"Yello." Then again, Neptune has a thing for popping up at either the best or worst possible times. "Neppermint speaking." This just so happens to be the former. Although Gust did find it a little unusual as to how groggy Neptune sounded, almost as if she'd just woken up from a nap or something like that, but chose to simply ignore that.

"Lady Neptune. Gust has important news to share about potion." Gust replied calmly... well, mostly calm. As calm as Gust could really be after her latest realization.

"What is it?" Asked a now curious Neptune, sounding quite curious at the mention of that potion again.

"After observing effects, Gust has come to simple conclusion." It was time to drop the bombshell. "Gust believes that potion can unveil hidden feelings."

 **-~-~-~- _Purple Lovers_ -~-~-~-**

As Neptune regained her senses she quickly began to realize that her phone was ringing. She also realized that she should probably get a new one pretty soon cuz this one was surprisingly loud and bright, but that's not the main issue. Somebody was calling her right now after all.

"Yello." She was feeling a bit groggy as she replied, but did her best to sound like she was fit as a fiddle. "Neppermint speaking."

"Lady Neptune. Gust has important news to share about potion." Well that certainly peaked Neptune's interest.

"What is it?" It was already taking a lot of effort for Neptune to even stay standing so she really hoped that Gust wouldn't take too long in delivering her exposition here.

"After observing effects, Gust has come to simple conclusion. Gust believes that potion can unveil hidden feelings."

"Wha…?" Over on Neptune's end, hearing such news left her… Not knowing how to really feel about it. Especially since she didn't really understand much of what Gust meant and what she was getting at.

"Gust means that Lady Neptune may have feelings for Lady Nepgear." Hearing that seemed to only make things all the more confusing.

"Whoa whoa whoa, hold the phone Gusty buddy. What do you mean I might have feelings for Nep Jr.?" How did Gust even come to that kind of conclusion anyway? What the heck did she even see to come up with that kind of conclusion anyway?

"IF and Cave both drank potion and started acting strangely after Compa and 5pb showed up." Acting strangely? What was Gust- "If what Lady Nepgear said is true, then Lady Neptune also started acting strangely after getting home and seeing her. From what Gust has just observed, I can only assume that Lady Neptune may have hidden feelings for Lady Nepgear." Getting at…?

"Wha... I don't... I mean I just… Gah, this is so confusing!" And that was an understatement. "Are you sure Iffy and Cave weren't just feeling all-"

"Both showed strong signs of affection once 5pb and Compa showed up. Almost completely ignored Gust and Nisa."

"S-still, doesn't it seem just a little-"

"Put down Gust's bag! Apologies Lady Neptune, Nisa is being idiot… again."

"Hey wait, Gust I-" Sadly, Neptune was unable to stop Gust from hanging up the phone and was then left in stunned silence for a few short moments. An event that was very rare for the CPU of Planeptune. Either way, that short phone call had left her with more questions than answers.

The purple-haired CPU wound up spending a few more seconds in silence, still utterly flabbergasted for reasons she could barely even begin to comprehend. It certainly didn't help that she had just woken up from a rather restless nap. Now, not only did she have to deal with the grogginess from waking up from her short slumber, but now she had to deal with figuring out if she'd missed something important from the last few chapters that might serve to shed some light on what was going on. Not to mention that she still wasn't sure how or why she fell asleep which made it all the more confusing for the purple-haired CPU. And to top it all off, she couldn't remember a thing that happened after she finally found Gust and drank that potion again… Maybe she should tell Gust about that before she inevitably started selling the stuff and got in trouble for not knowing about the passing out and forgetting stuff part… But that could wait till later.

"Ugh, today just keeps getting more confusing by the second." Apparently having had enough of the silence that had enveloped her room for the last few seconds, Neptune decided that now might be a good time to leave. "I wonder where Nep Jr. and Vert are."

That was all that the short CPU said as she put her cell phone into her pocket and proceeded to leave her room in search of her little sister and buddy, Vert. Hopefully they would have some insight to share with little ol' Nep when she found them because right now Neptune might just give herself a headache from all the thinking she was doing right about now. So, with that new goal in mind she searched all of the possible locations the two might be in, starting with the living room area, then the kitchen, and third came the library. All of these locations yielded no results whatsoever.

… Well shoot, Neptune couldn't really think of any other places they might be in… Wait!

Nepgear's room! A light bulb might as well have appeared above her head as the idea popped into her mind. It was the only other place that they might possibly be in after all… Or possibly Neptune's office, but that would just be silly.

"Nep Jr.'s room it is!" She said to no one in particular.

The next few moments were spent dashing through the basilicom until she finally arrived at her sister's bedroom. She had probably also broken some sort of record at how quickly she was moving, she didn't know what kind of record she had broken, but what she did know is that probably in pieces thanks to her speediness. She was just that good… apparently.

Now, if Neptune had actually stopped for a moment to actually pay attention, then she might have noticed that there was a voice saying something. She might have also noticed that this particular voice was saying things that were a major indicator of what the owner of said voice was doing. Unfortunately… Paying attention wasn't really one of Neptune's strong points.

"Oh Nep Junio-" Of course, as soon as the door swung open, Neptune was treated to the sight of her sister, Nepgear, looking through her wardrobe. But if she was just looking through her clothes then that would just be too simple and expected.

"..." Neptune had walked in to see her little sister in nothing but her undergarments, obviously getting ready to change clothes. She had also gone completely silent as her eyes settled on her older sister. She was also starting to shake a bit, her eyes going wide, the realization of her situation gaining more and more weight as the two sisters stood there silently.

"..." The longer the silence lasted, the more Neptune's face began to burn a brighter shade of red than before, not knowing what she should say in this type of situation. Then again, it was kind of hard to figure out what to say when presented with the half-naked form of one's own sister.

There was also… an odd sensation Neptune was beginning to feel...

"KYYYYYAAAAAAHHHH!" And it wasn't just because of the fact that Nepgear's hand had given Neptune's face a high five.

"Bwah!" Neptune also ended up losing her balance somewhat, but she was quickly able to regain her footing before she fell to the floor and then proceeded to jump backwards and land on her knees, bowing and offering her sister an apology. "S-sorry Jr. I guess I shoulda knocked first! I'll be in the living room if ya need me!"

And before Nepgear could even respond, Neptune dashed off at an even quicker pace than when she was heading for Gear's room, once again breaking some form of record. Granted, it was pretty much the same record that she had already broken, but who cares about semantics when Neptune was still reeling from seeing her half-naked sister?

The most interesting part is that even when Neptune finally arrived in the living room of her basilicom, she soon found that her legs couldn't stop moving and she ended up pacing back and forth. Back and forth, side to side and all manner of other various combinations of steps as well. Some of the nerdier people in Planeptune might even think she was just trying to input some cheat codes or something along those lines.

"Aw man, this isn't helping. And what's with this weird feeling I have in my chest?" Neptune put a hand to her chest, as if thinking that doing so would calm the pounding of her heart. It had practically started beating a mile a minute once Neptune had laid eyes on her half-naked sister. And what was probably the worst part was that Neptune wasn't even sure why her heart was pounding so vigorously at the sight of her own sister. Or at least… until she remembered what Gust said to her over the phone.

"Gust believes that potion can unveil hidden feelings."

… No… No, that would be...

"Gust means that Lady Neptune may have feelings for Lady Nepgear."

No way… It couldn't be, it just couldn't… Could it?

"It could be. Never know until you try."

"Gust didn't say that!" Oh great, now Neptune's mind was making things up! Almost as if her mind was agreeing with what Gust said and trying to convince the short purplette of the statement's factuality. Then again, Neptune being Neptune, she just couldn't couldn't believe it.

There was just no way that it could be true, after all, the two were sister. Neptune having feelings for her own little sister? That was just… wrong, wasn't it? Big sisters aren't supposed to have feelings for their baby sisters! And as much as Neptune loved her sister, there was no way that she could develop any romantic feelings for her! How would that even happen anyway? There was just no way that-

"Uhh, sis."

"Waaahhh!" Upon hearing a voice from behind her, Neptune was not only brought out of her thoughts, but she also found herself jumping high enough to smack her head onto the roof. "Ow!" And, in true Neptune fashion, she began to fall, or rather float down like a piece of paper, down into her worried sister's arms… Wait what?

"G-goodness! I'm sorry sis. I didn't mean to startle you like that." There was genuine concern in the now fully dressed candidate's voice. There was also the matter of how she had actually caught her older sister in her arms as the shorter purplette fell to the ground. Needless to say, being held in her little sister's arms bridal style wasn't doing much to help calm Neptune's rapidly pounding heart. Unless making it beat even faster and making her face burn a bright shade of red counted as helping. "A-are you okay sis? Your face is really red."

"I-I'm fine! Yup, perfectly fine." Since Nepgear seemed rather focused on making sure her big sis was fine, Neptune took the chance to jump out of her arms, as if doing so would be enough to show she was really okay. That and putting some distance between the two certainly helped her heart calm down a little, if only a little. "Totally hunky dory."

"W-well, if you say so." Nepgear wasn't entirely convinced of that, but decided that it probably wasn't a very big deal, so she decided to let it drop for the time being. "Oh, that's right! How is your face? I did slap you kind of hard." Unfortunately for Neptune, Nepgear closed the distance the shorter purplette had put between them to make sure she hadn't hurt her big sis too badly by slapping her.

"D-don't worry about it, Jr. it's fine! Really! It's my fault for not knocking anyway, so it's all good." That was a lie. And while Neptune was doing a much better job at making it look like she was fine than she was just a few moments ago, the proximity to her sister was making her feel very flustered. Not to mention that it was also making Neptune rethink whether or not Gust really did make a mistake or not.

"Alright, but just make sure to tell me if it starts to sting okay?" To which Neptune responded by nodding her head eccentrically. Of course, there was still one more thing Nepgear wanted to know. "By the way, are you almost done getting ready for the carnival?"

"Yeah yeah, don't worry about it." Said the purple CPU while waving a hand dismissively at the matter… Wait a minute… Nepgear wasn't supposed to know about the carnival just yet! How did she find out? "Wait a minute wait a minute! Back up there Jr.!" Now Neptune was desperately hoping for some sort of explanation here. "What do you mean?"

"Huh? Don't you remember? You said you were going to take Vert and I to a carnival." Nepgear explained calmly. "You said it was a secret, but then you said it'd be okay, and then you said we should go get ready, but you were asleep when Miss Vert..." Wait a minute. Now that Nepgear really thought about it, the last time Neptune took the potion she passed some time after she got home. If she didn't remember what saying earlier and she really did fall asleep again that that would mean that… Well it probably wasn't a big deal for anyone (unless they were planning on selling the stuff that is). "W-well, the point is, you said we should go get ready for the carnival. We still have some time left so you should probably get changed."

"R-right." The short purplette slumped her shoulders a bit, clearly getting a bit frustrated by all of this stuff going on. And, now that Neptune was actually paying attention, she noticed that Nepgear had indeed changed clothes. Albeit nothing too fancy, but rather just a simplistic purple stripped shirt and skirt. Either way, it did offer Neptune a way to get some distance as well as some time to think about whether these feelings of hers were really genuine or not.

The CPU decided not to waste any time and headed back to her room. Hopefully she'd be able to sort out her feelings a bit while she went to go get dressed for a night out with Jr. And as much as she disliked doing it very often, Neptune would actually have to think about this for a while. Maybe if she looked back on their time together, Neptune might be able to figure out why she might have feelings for her little sister. And more importantly, why she had never noticed them up until she drank that stupid potion.

But regardless of what she came up with… Neptune mostly just hoped that she could still be together with Nepgear as her older sister at the very least.


	8. Memory Lane!

"Junior! I'm home!" As soon as those words left Neptune's mouth, she soon came face to face with her tiny and adorable little sister, now dubbed Nep Jr.

"Sis! Welcome home!" Oh! The smile Nepgear always greeted Neptune with was always enough to brighten up her day any day, regardless of what she was going through. Today was no different. Heck, that smile always made Neptune wanna scoop the girl into her arms and hug her and cherish her and play with the adorable little tyke. It was also nice for Neptune to have someone else shorter that her around in the basilicom to talk to, or in this case play with. "Um, sis? What's that behind your back?"

"Weeeeell, I went to the store and saw something you might like." Neptune then took the bag she was holding behind her back and showed it off for her little sister to witness. Needless to say, but the young candidate was very surprised by the sudden gift.

"F-for me?" The little candidate pointed to herself in utter disbelief.

"Yeah it's for you, silly. Now let's go open it." To which the reaction from Nepgear was almost instant. She grabbed her sister's hand with both of her smaller ones and pulled her towards the couch, to which Neptune happily complied. "Whoa there, slugger. You're really excited about this huh?"

Neptune then found herself seated on her couch with Nepgear quickly jumping into her lap with a... surprisingly serious expression adorning her features. It certainly took Neptune by surprise and made her feel kind of nervous. Had she done something wrong?

"Sis." Hoo boy! Now Nepgear's voice matched the seriousness of her expression, to the point where she would have backed up a bit. It was a very rare feeling for Neptune. Even when she was battling with the other CPUs she rarely ever felt very nervous like she felt right now. How was she supposed to fix this when she wasn't even sure what she- "You know you don't have to keep buying me things, right?"

"..." Oh... Is that all? "Oh come on, Junior. I know I don't have to, but I just can't help it." Neptune said with a warm smile on her face. Next, she hugged the young candidate closer, nuzzling the girl intently whilst also somehow taking out her gift and presenting it to the young girl.

"Sis! Knock it off! This is really embarrassing... Is that..." The moment the candidate's eyes fell upon her gift, they began to sparkle with excitement and joy. "Isn't that the new collector's edition Anubis figurine from Sector of The Finishers?"

"That's the one." Neptune wasn't quite sure why Nepgear liked robots and mechanical stuff so much, but whatever. It made it a bit easier to think of gifts to get her that she'd actually like instead of looking around aimlessly and buying something she might not even actually like, but pretend she does so as to not hurt Neptune's feelings. And, as one might expect, Neptune nearly passed out from a cuteness overload when she discovered that side of Nepgear.

"Yay! I love you so much! You're the best big sis ever!" Oh! The hugging! The smiling! The joyful laughter! Too... much... cuteness... to handle... 3... 2... 1... and-

"And you're the bestest and cutest little sister ever!" The hugging intensifies! It almost seemed like Nepgear's levels of adorableness just continued to increase without limits! Either that or Neptune was still just that excited to have someone else to come home to other than just Histoire. Not that she didn't like Histoire's company, but since she often did most of the work, it left Neptune to her own devices with virtually nobody to be or play with let alone even talk to for any substantial amount of time.

"Oh yeah. Sis, I got something for you today too." And seemingly out of nowhere, Nepgear just up and hopped off of Neptune's lap and out of the room. After she left from view, she was gone for a matter of about a minute, possibly a little bit less than that, when she soon re-entered the room.

"Why are you carrying around a katana!?" Except as soon as Neptune saw the sword Nepgear carried back with her into the room, she nearly had a heart attack. The older Nep wasted no time in awkwardly bounding from her couch and swiftly taking the sword from her sister's hands, which surprised the smaller girl quite a bit in the process. Once the blade was out of Nepgear's hands, Neptune let out a sigh of relief as she gave her sister a stern look. "You shouldn't be carrying weapons around like that, Jr.!" Neptune scolded. "You could have hurt yourself!"

In response to being scolded, Nepgear shrunk away, poking her fingers together as she looked down at the ground. And now that Neptune paid attention to her, she noticed that Nepgear was almost tearing up a little, but doing her best not to let a single drop fall from her eyes. It made Neptune feel a bit bad about scolding the girl, but she just couldn't let this fly! "I know, but... You're always buying things for me, so I wanted to get something for you too."

"Eh..." Neptune's stern expression soon faded into one of sheer surprise. "You got this for me?" Nepgear nodded in response, still looking at the ground. And now that Neptune actually got the chance to look at it, the sword was actually quite nice. When she unsheathed it slightly to inspect the blade, it looked even better. The sheath itself may not have been anything fancy, but the blade itself was amazing. It was just the right length with such a sharp and fine looking edge to it. Just where did Nepgear even find this."It's beautiful."

Hearing Neptune's voice, Nepgear lifted her head to look at her sister, currently in awe of the katana she was wielding. And although Neptune wasn't really doing anything with it, Nepgear couldn't help but admire just how cool her sister looked while holding that sword in her hands. "Do you... Do you like it?"

"...Yup. Thanks Jr." Hearing Neptune say that, Nepgear couldn't help but light up with joy. She was just so glad to hear that after she'd spent so much time with Histoire looking for the right sword to give her sister. The blacksmiths even gave it to her for free when they realized she was the CPU of Planeptune's little sister. She did feel kind of bad that she didn't have to pay for it, but they insisted that she take it. "But still, you really should be careful with these, you hear me?" Nepgear nodded vigorously in understanding. Neptune then took the chance to head back to her seat, but when a small hand latched onto her parka, she stopped in her tracks. "What's up, Jr.?"

"Ummm..." Oh goodness! Another adorable expression! How was this even possible?! "Sis... Would it maybe, possibly be okay if you could... Show me some of your sword techniques?" Chance!

"Oh?" So that was it? Nepgear just wanted to see just what her big sis was made of? Well if that was the case, the so be it! It was the perfect opportunity for Neptune to show off too! "Very well then, Jr.! To quote a hero of mine, "Your wish has been heard loud and clear. May out fates intertwine beautifully." Nep Jr."

"Whoa!" Nepgear had no idea what that was a quote from, but it sounded super cool! And it was only made even cooler since it was Neptune saying it! "So cool!" Nepgear was practically starstruck in her sister's presence right about now. So very enamored by her... more so than a little sister would probably be.

...

Yeah... That was around the time Nepgear started getting me stuff... How could I forget that? I used to spoil her rotten with so much stuff all the time, but I guess I started to forget about that when she started spoiling me like that...Or maybe I just forgot when I met IF and Compa? But then... How am I remembering it so easily now?

Oh whatever! That still doesn't give me my answer! I need to figure out when it was that I started developing feelings for my little sister! If I can figure that out then maybe I can find a way to sort all of this out... Maybe...

Just keep thinking Neptune, keep thinking and maybe we can find my answer.

As Neptune continued to focus on her memories of the past, her obscure and nearly forgotten memories, she found that it was actually very easy... Almost too easy actually. Or maybe it was because it was Nepgear that she was thinking about that it was so easy? Well what the answer to that question is, she soon found her memories back to a rather eventful time in her life.

"They are waiting for you as we speak." As Histoire uttered those words, Neptune's grip around her sword tightened just a little as Histoire had said that. Neptune didn't really want to go, but it's not like she had any real choice in the matter to begin with.

"I see... I guess I better get going then." There was no sense in wasting time. Neptune knew that all too well by now. And it would probably be better to get going before Nepgear could ask where Neptune was going. "Don't wait up. And don't tell Nepgear about any-"

"Sis! There you are! I demand hugs!" ...Well it looks like that plan just got flushed down the drain. Neptune could practically feel her heart sink as Nepgear entered the room and approached Neptune with a rather huffy expression on her face. The girl was trying her darndest to appear angry, but it only really served to make her look super adorable. Unfortunately, this was one of the few times Neptune would be able to really appreciate it. "Sis? Why do you look so serious?"

"I-I don't know what you're talking about, Jr." Neptune forced out what was quite possibly the most awkward laugh she had ever laughed in all of her time laughing.

"Then why are you holding your sword?" Nepgear's innocent questioning was making it hard for Neptune to look at her. "Why aren't you looking at me?"

"Nepgear, please just go to your room." There wasn't really anything else Neptune could do at this point other than just tell her that. And even as those words left her lips, she already knew exactly how Nepgear would react.

"...You're going back to fight with the other CPUs aren't you?" It was at times like these where Neptune cursed the fact that Nepgear was so smart.

"Look, Jr. I-"

"No." Nepgear's eyes were unreadable at this point, now obscured by her hair. "No! If you go then you're just going to come back hurt like all those other times!"

"Jr. It's fine, I'll be-"

"Stop it!" Neptune was taken aback by her sister's sudden spike in volume. She found herself taking a step back as a result. "You always say you're going to be fine, but you always come home hurt!" If Neptune had been feeling conflicted before, that feeling became even stronger when Nepgear looked back up at her with tears beginning to fall from her eyes. "I don't want you to go... Please don't go... Please."

"..." What was Neptune even supposed to say to that? There was nothing coming to mind right now. In fact, the only thing she could really focus on right about now was her heavy heart and Nepgear's crying face. Even Histoire, who had been silent since the moment Nepgear walked in could think of anything to say or do in this moment. "Please don't try and stop me, Nepgear." Neptune could only turn to leave before Nepgear could stop her, but to her surprise, Nepgear had immediately grabbed onto her from behind, soaking the back of Neptune's parka with her tears.

"Please don't go! I... I don't wanna lose you." And with that short exclamation, Neptune found she could no longer move at all. She felt frozen in her tracks with tears threatening to fall from her face. "Please, sis... I'm scared... I'm scared that one day you'll leave and I'll never see you again..."

"..."

"I don't want to be alone..."

"..."

"I don't want to lose you..."

And that was the last straw that broke the camel's back. Before Nepgear understood what was happening, she found herself in Neptune's warm embrace.

"I'm not going anywhere." Neptune's voice came out quiet. She didn't really want to go in the first place, but now, she never wanted to go back again. She didn't want to put Nepgear through that kind of pain so long as she lived. And more than that... More than anything really, she just wanted to be with Nepgear forever and ever.

"..." Nepgear didn't say anything at first, choosing to partake in her sister's warmth while she still could. She didn't want to say anything at all... But even so... "Really?" Even so, she knew that sometimes when something was too good to be true, it usually was.

"Really."

"Really really?" She had her answer, but Nepgear still wanted to be sure.

"Really really."

"Really really really?" Nepgear had to fight back the sniffles as her sister's arms tightened ever so slightly around her small body.

"Really really really."

As the scene played out, a smile began to form on Histoire's lips. And yet... Deep down, a part of her was telling her that it wasn't a good idea to let this keep going on. Neptune had a responsibility to her people to put an end to the console war once and for all... So then why did Histoire just stay silent and ignore that fact?

Because she had never seen Neptune look as happy as whenever she spent with Nepgear. She finally had somebody to keep her loneliness away. It was a feat that even Histoire could not accomplish, seeing as how she couldn't really do much while working in Neptune's stead. It was an unfortunate situation where Histoire had to choose between Neptune's happiness and the future of Planeptune... Or at least if she actually had any say in the matter. Besides, she would feel like a monster if she were to break up a pair of such close siblings. Now she just hoped that this wouldn't come back to bite them in the future.

Still... It was hard not to feel touched at such a beautiful scene. Deciding that she was not needed here, Histoire made her way out of the room. It was probably best to let the two sisters have their moment together before worrying about anything else right now.

Still... There was one thing that was for certain. The only true way for peace to return, and for Neptune and Nepgear to be together was to put an end to the console war.

...

That's right... Nep Jr. Was always worrying about me back then. How did I ever forget about that day anyway?

I guess the console war was such a pain in the butt that I didn't want to remember anything having to do with it... Or maybe it's something else... Whatever. I'm not good at this thinking thing so hopefully I'll find something soon... At least I better so I can figure out what to do about this me and Nepgear business.

Would Neptune really gain anything by figuring out when she might have started feeling something towards Nepgear? That remained to be seen. But she had already set foot into the metaphorical rabbit's hole so why not see it through to the end?

In any case, Neptune's next trip through memory lane would be through one particular street she wasn't quite sure she even wanted to visit or not. Still, she wasn't going to back down now. It was time to revisit a day that shook Gamindustri to its very core.

The day that marked the end of the Console War.


	9. Calm Before The Storm!

"Hey, Histy," Neptune's began, taking great care not to keep her voice down so as to not wake her slumbering sister. "Did anything new happen since I didn't show up today?" Neptune probably didn't need to ask, but it was probably better to be safe than sorry in cases like these. Sadly, she already had a feeling what Histoire was going to say even before she opened her mouth.

"It seems as though the news of your absence has begun to spread at a rapid pace." It seemed like Neptune was right for once. Only this was one of the few times she wished she was wrong. "There are a number of rumors spreading as to what this might mean. Most of which are of a more negative nature. The CPUs have even challenged you to appear come tomorrow to prove you are not a coward."

"..." Neptune could have seen that coming from a mile away. The last time she had been unable to arrive to face off against the other CPUs, the exact same thing had happened. The only real difference was that back then Neptune didn't have a little sister to come home to. "Histy..."

"What is it?" Histoire asked. The tiny oracle was unable to discern what kind of expression Neptune was wearing on her face. Her hair had fallen over her eyes, obscuring them from Histoire's sight. There was also the fact that Neptune was using her serious voice that had taken Histoire aback even more.

"I..." Neptune's voice had increased in volume. Not by much, but it was still a noticeable difference from the almost whispers she was speaking in only moments ago. "I want to put an end to the Console War once and for all."

The sudden declaration almost made Histoire gasp in surprise. "So does that mean you plan to go tomorrow?" That was a rather foolish question, and Histoire knew it. She had half a mind to take it back, but what Neptune said next stopped her dead in her tracks before she could utter another word.

"We're all going." Now Histoire couldn't help but let out an actual gasp.

"What do you mean, Neptune?" Histoire asked, seeking out some sort of clarification.

"I think we should go out for some air first." Neptune said as she peeked over her shoulder to look into her room. Although now it wasn't just her room anymore. Although she didn't mind sharing it with such a cutie like Nepgear. "I'll tell you what I mean while we walk." The purple CPU decided now would be a good time to get going. It would probably take quite a bit of explaining before Histoire would ever even consider agreeing to Neptune's crazy proposition. It was at times like these that Neptune was so very glad she had such a high charisma stat. It would definitely come in handy in the chat she was about to have with her oracle.

"Very well then." Well, at least getting Histoire to come along had gone well enough. But now came the hard part, but seeing as how this is Neptune we're talking about, it could only end swaying in her favor. "I do hope you know what you are doing, Neptune."

"Well, I guess we'll know by tomorrow."

 **-~-~-~- _Purple Lovers_ -~-~-~-**

By the time morning rolled around, Neptune was so rudely awakened by the almost blinding rays of the morning sun. It wasn't the most pleasant way to start off her day, but at least she had the cutest little hug pillow in all of... Huh...

"J... Jr.?" Neptune called out, realizing that her little hug pillow of a sister wasn't hugging her the way she did every other morning. In fact, Neptune couldn't even find her anywhere on the bed at all now that she realized it. She opened her eyes and saw that she was indeed alone in bed. "...Just when I was starting to get used to not waking up alone anymore."

While the entire absence of Nepgear at her side had made a few alarm bells (of loneliness) go off in her head, Neptune was doing an incredibly good job in hiding it. Although the fact that Neptune did feel a bit lonely already was probably a sign that she'd grown somewhat dependent on having someone nearby. Could anyone blame her though? Especially when having such a cute little munchkin of a sister like Nepgear? In any case, Neptune decided it would probably be best to go look for her and get out of bed. She enjoyed sleeping, but too much of it made her feel groggy, which she did not like. And besides, even if she could get back to sleep, it probably wouldn't be as peaceful as it would be if Nepgear were around anyway.

As the purple CPU got out of bed, she took of her pajamas and quickly got into her normal attire. She wasn't really up for doing it slowly for the sake of fanservice when she had something pretty gosh darn important to do later today. After that was all good and done, she walked out the door at blistering speeds one would expect from a sloth, seeing as how she wanted to take it easy for as long as she could before the big showdown with the rest of the CPUs.

However, as soon as Neptune stepped out of the room, she detected a very pleasant smell. It was a smell that she had also grown quite accustomed to smelling during the weekends... Of course, that also begged the question of who it was that was making pancakes on a Friday morning. Not that she was complaining, since pancakes were her favorite breakfast treat after all. She just found it rather odd since Histoire usually only made them on weekends and Neptune didn't know anyone else who could cook or bake.

Well, as she finally made it to the kitchen her question was answered. For standing there next to the stove, wearing an adorable miniature apron right next to the stove was none other than Nepgear herself. She was flipping pancakes and skillfully making them land on plates, almost as if she had been doing this for years. Neptune couldn't help but gape a little as she witnessed her little sister turned master chef. When exactly had this happened?

"Okay, they're all ready." The little candidate in training smiled to herself proudly as she turned off the stove. She just knew her big sis was going to be quite surprised to see that she had gone and learned how to cook without her even realizing it. And these pancakes were just the first step. Next, she was going to take lessons on baking all sorts of stuff she could feed to her beloved big sis. With that thought in mind, the small candidate went to the fridge and took out a bottle of orange juice and proceeded to pour it into a cup she'd gotten out ahead of time before returning the juice to its rightful place.

"Morning, Jr.!"

"Uwaah!" The sudden hello caused the small candidate to stumble a bit and she almost spilled the juice, until a hand appeared out of nowhere and took hold of the cup and quickly placed it back on the table. The little candidate let out a sigh of relief as the crisis was averted. In fact, she had been so caught up in her own relief that she hadn't even realized that her sister Neptune was standing right behind her with a sly grin on her face. "That could have been bad."

"Then it's a good thing I was here to help out, huh?" Neptune asked.

"Yeah, I... Wait..." That voice sounded familiar. As Nepgear turned around, she realized that it was her big sis. Oh no! She wasn't supposed to see this yet! "Sis! You're not supposed to be awake yet!"

"Eh?" What? She wasn't? Did Nepgear just want to give her big sis a pleasant awakening by having a bunch of breakfast treats ready for whenever she woke up and just wasn't expecting Neptune to wake up this early?

"I wanted to have everything ready for when you woke up!" Nepgear said huffily, confirming Neptune's suspicions.

"You know, Jr." Neptune placed a hand on top of Nepgear's head, giving the girl a few soft pats. "The only other person that's ever cooked for me is Histy." The taller purple sister knelt down to meet Nepgear eye-to-eye. "Maybe the surprise is ruined, but that's not the important part. The fact that you would even try is enough for me." As she finished, the purple CPU wrapped her arms around the little munchkin known as Nepgear and nuzzled her lovingly.

And from Nepgear's perspective, she wasn't quite sure why she was being hugged, but she didn't have a problem with it. Heck, she didn't even know why her sister looked like she was about to cry, but... Wait a second, what? "Ah! Sis, please don't cry! I'm sorry!"

"Eh?" Neptune stopped for a second, but after she realized what Nepgear was saying, she just hugged the little doll even tighter. "I'm not crying because I'm sad, silly. Actually, I haven't felt this happy in a really long time."

"Eh?" Well now Nepgear was even more confused. But at the very least, she was glad she didn't end up doing something so bad that it made her big sister cry. "O-okay..."

"That reminds me, Nepgear." Deciding to get it over with as soon as possible, Neptune pulled away from her little sister.

"Huh? What is it? D-did I do something bad after all?" Oh no! Neptune was using Nepgear's full name instead of calling her Jr. She only ever did that when she was scolding her or being serious. And Neptune was only ever serious when she was in her HDD state!

"N-no... It's just... There's something I need to tell you." Well, if Neptune wanted to get this over with, then it was probably better to do it now than wait till the last minute. "I... I'm going to put an end to the console war today." And, just as Neptune had expected, Nepgear's expression became quite downcast.

"No..."

"And you're coming with me."

"...Huh?" Nepgear looked up, a few tears close to falling from her eyes. Did... Did Nepgear hear that right? She wasn't quite sure. "What do you mean?"

"I mean that I'm gonna go tell the other CPUs I'm done with it. And honestly... I think I can definitely do it if you're there with me." Neptune flashed a warm smile as she gently patted Nepgear's head, putting her own forehead against her sister's smaller one. "I know that might sound kind of scary for you. It's still kind of scary for me too... But as long as you're with me, Jr... I can do anything."

"..."

After that, Nepgear went silent, probably absorbing everything Neptune had just said. It was a lot to take in, especially since it pretty much came out of the blue like that. And there was no real way of knowing if the other CPUs would really let her off just like that, but... Still...

"W-will they really leave you alone if we go?"

"I don't really know." Nepgear cringed a little upon hearing that. She didn't want her sister getting hurt because the other CPUs didn't listen to her. "But what I do know is that I'll never find out if I don't try. And what kind of CPU would I be if I was too afraid ever try?"

"..."

"..."

"...Okay." While Nepgear was feeling rather hesitant to agree, she knew her sister wouldn't lie to her, nor was she the type of person to give up when the odds were against her. "Just... Just promise me you'll be okay." The shorter purple sister brought up her hand, extending a pinkie for her sister to take with her own. "Promise me."

"...Heheh." Neptune couldn't help but chuckle a little. Even though Nepgear knew that she was going to be in danger herself, she was still more worried about Neptune than her own well being. Not only did it make Neptune feel blessed to have such a caring little sister, but it also made her feel so terribly apprehensive about actually bringing her along. Even Histoire felt like it was an unwise idea, and she was probably going to scold Neptune for even considering it after everything was all done. But even still, Neptune knew the other CPUs well enough to know they wouldn't hurt an innocent child, and that Nepgear probably wouldn't want Neptune to go unless she could make sure Neptune came back alright... But even more than that...

Neptune was always at her strongest when she was fighting to protect someone.

"I promise, I won't let myself get hurt too badly... Or at least I'll try." Neptune spoke gleefully as she took Nepgear's pinkie with her own...

"You have to promise!" And was quickly taken aback when Nepgear pulled her pinkie away with a puffy yet stern expression (at least as stern as a young girl like Nepgear could manage) directed right at her. "You can't just try. You have to make sure you don't get hurt, okay?"

Well now. Nepgear was being surprisingly adamant about not wanting to see Neptune let herself get hurt. Well, there was no getting around it then. "Okay, okay. I promise I won't let myself get hurt out there." And with that Neptune finally caught Nepgear's pinkie with her own. "Happy now?"

"Mhm." Nepgear shook her head up and down in response, looking rather pleased with the turnout of events. Neptune on the other hand, wasn't quite as excited about the agreement. Still, it always best to finish business transactions before a big fight, so... That's gotta mean something, right?

"Alright then." Well, at least that was over now. "Oh yeah. Now that that's over with, why don't we go munch on those pancakes now?" And instead of waiting for an answer from Nepgear, Neptune instead scooped the mini Nep sister in her arms, eliciting a yelp from said Nep sister, and brought her to the table and placed her in her seat. And knowing Neptune, she probably would have done the same thing with Histoire if she had noticed the fact that said oracle was actually nearby, having heard the entire exchange between the two sisters, smiling to herself.

"I certainly will have to have a chat with you once this is over, Neptune." Histoire said to no one in particular. "Although if as long as both of you get out without any injuries, that is more than enough for me." The tiny oracle took in a deep breath, steeling her resolve. There was no going back now.

But even still, Histoire's lingering concerns weren't going to disappear very easily. There was always the possibility that the other CPUs might not even listen to Neptune and just choose to attack her instead. There was just no telling what might end up going wrong. The only thing Histoire could really do was pray and hope that everything would turn out alright in the end.

"I really do hope you know what you are doing, Neptune."

 **-~-~-~- _Purple Lovers_ -~-~-~-**

"Well... I guess it's finally time to go." After a rather eventful breakfast, Neptune and Histoire spent quite a bit of time practicing and thinking about what Neptune should say once the group arrived in Celestia. And while Neptune did have a pretty good idea of what she to say now, the tension still hung over her like a heavy blanket. It would have been nice if she could have had some more time to practice and rehearse what to say, but time was something she no longer had. Now it was do or die time, although Neptune could make do without the whole 'dying' part. "You ready to go, Histy? Junior?"

"I am as ready as I will ever be." There came Histoire's reply. Neptune had expected no less from the fairy oracle. She looked so calm and collected, even though she was probably just as nervouse about this whole thing as Neptune. It made the purple CPU feel incredibly thankful for her presence in times like these. Although Nepgear on the other hand...

"I... Yes... I think so... Maybe" It seemed like Nepgear was the most nervous about the whole ordeal out of the three of them. And why wouldn't she be? She was the youngest of the three of them after all, so it made perfect sense that she'd feel apprehensive about going along with such an endeavor. It was really making Neptune have second thoughts about bringing Nepgear along, but... Would Neptune even be able to do this if she didn't have Nepgear there to give her the courage to keep going? Well, the answer to that was probably irrelevant now that everyone was gathered on the balcony.

"...Y'know, Jr." Neptune slowly got on her knees and looked Nepgear straight in the eyes. "I know you're probably scared. B-but if you-"

"I... I've already made up my mind, sis." Nepgear responded before Neptune could even finish her train of thought. "I already decided I was going to go even if I was still a bit scared... Because I want to protect you too, Neptune." Just thinking about coming face-to-face with the other CPUs was making Nepgear really weak in the knees. But at the same time, if she could help her sister in any way she could, the by golly she was definitely going to. Sadly, the tiny candidate was still far too young at the time to even realize just how much those words meant to Neptune.

"Jr... You're the best little sister I ever could have asked for."

"Eh?"

"Oh nothing. Anyways, we should really get going right about now. Wouldn't want to keep the other CPUs waiting, right?"

"S-sis?"

Nepgear wasn't entirely sure what was going on inside her big sister's head at the moment. Heck, if Nepgear didn't know any better, it almost looked like Neptune was almost about to cry. But that just didn't sound right at all. Her super strong older sister actually shedding tears? No way.

The reality of the situation, however, was that Neptune had indeed shed a few tears from hearing what Nepgear had just said to her. It was hard not to when she felt so genuinely touched by the little candidate's words. Even at such a young age, Nepgear already looked to have the makings of a great CPU once she came of age. But for right here and now, Neptune was going to be selfish and keep little Nep Jr. all to herself for as long as Goddessly possible.

"Hey, Jr.?" Neptune began.

"Yes, sis?" Gear responded.

"Can you promise me that you'll always be with me?"

"Eh?" Nepgear hadn't really expected that. Although to be honest, she was never sure what to expect from her sister in the first place. "I...I promise!" In the end, it didn't really matter what she did and didn't expect. All Nepgear really wanted was to make her big sister happy, and if making this promise would make Neptune happy, then it was a promise Nepgear was willing to make. And besides, it sounded really simple, so how hard could it be to keep that promise anyway?

"Thanks, Jr... It means a lot for me to hear you say that." The purple CPU smiled at her little sister's innocent and loving response. "Come on let's go." Now that Neptune had her answer she honestly felt like she could probably move mountains if she tried. There was no use delaying the inevitable, so it was time to get moving.

"Okie dok- Uwah!" Before Nepgear had a chance to finish that thought, she was already finding herself being scooped up into her sister's arms like a tiny little princess. "What the goodness?!"

"Sorry about that, Jr... Actually no, I'm not." Neptune merely smiled sheepishly at her little sister. "Wait... "what the goodness?" I don't think I've ever heard anyone I've met before say something like that." Neptune's sheepish smile morphed into a wolfish grin as Nepgear began to blush brightly and look away from Neptune defiantly, which was a bit tricky, seeing as how she was in Neptune's arms. "That's adorable."

Nepgear hastily turned her head back to face Neptune, not having expected that reaction from her sister. "R-really? Do you really think so?" Nepgear was only asking because she wanted to be completely and a hundred percent sure of it. Of course, seeing Neptune just chuckle instead of giving her a proper answer was a bit annoying, even if she did love her sister with her whole being. "S-stop laughing."

"Heheheheh... Sorry, Jr... I just couldn't help myself." The strong front Neptune was putting on was close to crumbling away. She knew that if she wanted to do this, she would have to do it now before she broke down and changed her mind completely. With that last thought in mind, she transformed and slowly began to float in the air. Once Neptune's feet left the ground, Nepgear's wrapped her arms tightly around Neptune's neck while Histoire took her place on the transformed CPU's shoulder.

"I take it you two are done talking?" Histoire asked calmly. She had remained silent throughout all of that to let the sisters have a moment together, but she was almost beginning to regret that as the feeling of tears welling was beginning to make itself known. "If so then we should be off."

"S-sorry to make you wait so long, Histy." Nepgear awkwardly replied. "I almost forgot you were here."

"To be honest, so did I." Purple Heart added. "But don't worry Histy, we'll make it up to you after this is over. I promise."

"You can make it up to me by making it out in one piece."

"...I will."

Not another word was said as Purple Heart began to fly off towards the place the other CPUs were waiting. This next encounter could only end in one of two ways. Either Neptune would succeed and she could go back home happily or she would fail and everything would end in disaster. Well... It was already obvious that she did go back home safely, but there was one thing she was completely unaware of.

That was around the time when Nepgear's feelings for Neptune slowly started to blossom into something more.


	10. The Turning Point!

"Zzzzz." Leave it to Nepgear to fall asleep just minutes before the group had made it to the destination of a big battle.

One would think that Neptune would be the one to fall asleep during something important, but that didn't seem to be the case right now. Although...strange as it may sound, Neptune didn't actually mind that Nepgear had fallen asleep like she had. If she was being honest, something about seeing the little candidates sleeping face was actually kind of soothing to the purple CPU.

"Ugaaahh... Nep...gear... Please let go..." It also kind of helped that the kid had been squeezing Histy like a little plush doll. It was a very amusing sight, which was exactly what Neptune needed to calm her nerves. "Neptune, please stop watching and do something about this, will you?"

"But she looks so content right now. If I take you away from her, she'd probably be very upset."

"Neptune!"

"Okay, okay. I get it." Finally conceding, Neptune gently grabbed her oracle from her little sister's iron (more like fluffy, but iron sounds cooler) grip and gently placed the fairy on her shoulder.

"Thank you." Histoire said huffily. Most people would probably be rather huffy about being caught in a death grip and having the life hugged out of them. The tiny fairy lets out a content sigh as she slowly began to lose herself in her own thoughts.

Neptune was quick to take notice of the sudden quiet, but she wasn't really sure what to say to Histoire at all. Sure, she was great at making people happy and all, but... She was never really good at figuring out what went on in Histy's head to begin with (Histoire could probably say the same about Neptune). In the end, all Neptune could really do was let out a soft sigh as she continued her flight.

"Neptune?" After what felt like hours of silence, Histoire finally broke it. The sudden mention of her name caught Neptune's interest. "I... I'm sorry I am not able to spend much time with you..." Needless to say, but Neptune really hadn't expected that at all. "I know you must have been very lonely to be by yourself for so long, and I wish I could have been able to be there for you, but..."

"You don't have to say anymore, Histoire. I know how you must feel."

"Even so, I wish I could be there for you more..."

"...Histoire..."

"Hmm... What is it?" The tiny oracle eyed the CPU curiously. She could never read the girl, regardless of which form she was in.

"You're the best mom I could have asked for."

"M-M-Mom?!" The tiny oracle's face lit up in a bright blush. "I am not your mother! And straighten your back while you are flying! ...W-wait, what are you...?" The blonde fairy's eyes widened as the CPU stopped in mid-air, grabbed her in one hand and proceeded to do something that really had not expected. "N-N-Neptune!" The CPU gave the tiny fairy a small peck on her forehead. "I am your oracle! You cannot just-"

"Shh. You'll wake Nep Jr." At the mention of the sleeping Nepgear, Histoire quickly zipped her lips. It might be bad to wake her up when she looked so peaceful in her sister's arms. Still, even though Histoire hid her voice, she couldn't hide the blush on her face, hell, Neptune could practically feel it.

"Hmph." The fairy oracle could do nothing more than cross her arms defiantly. There wasn't much she could do now, but she was definitely going to be giving Neptune a good scolding once they got back home... After making her something to eat, of course. Neptune was definitely going to need something full of nutrients and carbs to account for all the energy she was likely going to be expending today.

 **-~-~-~- _Purple Lovers_ -~-~-~-**

The flight to their destination hadn't lasted long enough. It would never last long enough if Histoire had any say in the matter, but sadly, it didn't really matter what she said with three other CPUs standing in the distance.

"I suppose this is it." Neptune said as she landed on the ground beneath them. The other three CPUs didn't seem to have noticed her yet, not like it really mattered at this point. The purple CPU walked over to a nearby tree and placed her little sister down in front of it, leaving Histoire to watch over her.

The young candidate was still asleep, but that wouldn't really be a problem here. All of the CPU's disputes and battles always took place on Celestia, a land high above Gamindustri and the four nations. As such, it was virtually impossible for a human to make their way up there, unless they were accompanied by a CPU.

"Good luck, Neptune." Histoire's expression was one of worry. Worry for her CPU, or rather, the girl she had raised from the moment she was born. She could deny it all she wanted, but she most certainly loved Neptune like a daughter, so it went without saying that she was very worried for her.

"I'll be alright. Just make sure to watch over Nepgear until I'm done." Purple Heart left Histoire to watch over little Nepgear, walking towards her fellow CPUs. The moment of truth was upon her.

The purple CPU took in a deep breath, an action that seemed to catch the attention of the green-haired CPU with spear in hand. The CPU turned to look at her with the same cocky smirk that Neptune had grown accustomed to seeing every time the four met up.

"How good of you to come, Neptune. I was afraid that you wouldn't show up, since you were too busy last time." The remark was heard by both Black Heart and White Heart, which meant that now Neptune had three sets of eyes staring her down.

"About time you showed up. I was getting tired of waiting for you." White Heart looked eager for a fight – more like she was always eager for a fight – while Black Heart was giving off a more calm and composed demeanor.

"I guess you're not entirely a coward after all." Black Heart stared down the Purple CPU readying her sword for battle. Her expression, as well as the other two CPUs had morphed into one of eagerness, one of a fighter ready to strike down their opponent.

They always wore those same faces to battle. They would always show up feeling so determined to put an end to things, but in the end it always ended the same way. She might not have noticed it before, but maybe now that she had Nepgear around, Neptune could see that. They fought, they tied, and then they would go back to their nations to prepare to fight again the next day. Truthfully, Neptune had had just about enough of that.

"Then this time... I'll make sure to settle this once and for all." The Purple CPU took a quick glance behind her, looking back at the tree she had left Nepgear at. She couldn't see her, since she was on the other side of the tree, hidden from view, but she definitely saw that tiny hand giving her a thumbs up. "It's time to end this." All CPUs present couldn't agree more with that sentiment. They all took a stance, preparing for battle, all save for Neptune, who opted for a more... Interesting approach. "Haaaa... That's much better." She reverted back into her human form.

"...Eh...?"

"...Ah...?"

"...What the hell are you doing?"

That same thought passed through the heads of all CPUs present. However, a certain oracle's train of thought was more along the lines of: "Neptune what in the world are you doing!? Why did you revert to your human form!? Are you out of your mind!? Even for you, that is an exceedingly foolish idea! I swear I am going to lecture you like never before once we get home, young lady! NEPTUNE!" Naturally it came out in the loudest voice she could muster, which most certainly caught the other CPUs off guard.

"Huh...? Histy, I told you to stay back by that tree."

"How could I possibly stay put when you are out here doing something so foolish!?"

If the CPUs had been confused before, they were downright flabbergasted by now. First, Neptune showed up and immediately returned to her human form. Next, Histoire come out of nowhere, starts yelling at Neptune, and was now proceeding to bonk her on the head repeatedly. Of course, since Histoire was the size of a fairy, it wasn't really doing anything noticeable to Neptune whatsoever, unless looking a tad confused counted.

"Honestly, I cannot trust you to do this alone, after all!"

"Excuse me."

"Oh come on, I would have been fine on my own."

"Neptune, Histoire, listen."

"No you would not! Everyone here is expecting you to fight them!"

"Hey!"

"Don't worry about it. All I gotta do is show up, say I don't wanna fight anymore, and be done with it."

"Would you two shut up already!" After both Green Heart and Black Heart tried to jump in, White Heart was fully fed up with listening to them talk. "We didn't come her to watch you two chat! We came her to fight, damn it!"

In response to Blanc's little outburst, Histoire did the smartest thing she could do, that being hiding behind Neptune's shoulder.

"Indeed. I do not know why you brought Histoire, but I do hope you are prepared, Neptune." Green Heart locked eyes with Neptune, but the response she received to her challenge was one nobody had expected.

"I'm not here to fight you." Was Neptune's response. Hearing that, the CPU's expressions went from challenging and confrontational to confused. Had they actually heard that right? "No matter how many times we show up, we've never gotten any closer to finding a winner. I'm getting reaaaaal tired of all this. It's really cutting into my pudding and sweets time."

"..."

"..."

"...What?"

"...You're backing out because you want more time for your stupid pudding?!" Black Heart practically spat out those words. She could hardly believe what she was hearing. Was Neptune, her rival CPU, really backing out because she wanted to laze about and eat pudding. "You didn't just say that, right?"

"Are you freaking kidding me!? It sounds to me that you're too afraid to keep fighting because you know you'll lose!" White Heart shouted at the Purple CPU. And yet, despite the harsh words being thrown at her, Neptune's expression remained the same throughout it all. "If you want to pull out then go ahead! We don't need a coward like you here!"

"Neptune, what are you thinking? If you abandon this fight you'd be abandoning your nation. What are you trying to accomplish?" Green Heart finally asked. However, for once Neptune knew exactly what she wanted to say.

"Why are we fighting again?" That was all Neptune needed to ask.

"Why? You're asking Why, after all this time would you be asking that now?!" The looks Neptune received from her fellow CPUs intensified, especially from Black Heart. "We're fighting to decide who gets control over Gamindustri!"

"We all know how it goes. All Goddesses before us have come together and fight to decide who will become the next true Goddess. In order to do that we have to fight. Whoever wins, wins. That's just how it is." Green Heart brought up a good point. Well... Most people would have thought it was a good point, but Neptune was not one of those people.

"No it's not!" Neptune shouted in response, catching her fellow CPUs off guard. In truth, Neptune understood what they were saying, she used to believe the same thing herself. But now that she had something more to protect, not a single day went by where she didn't question that logic. "We're just fighting because we're afraid of what the others will do if we leave them alone. Afraid that we'd be failing our people if we didn't."

"What are you going on about?"

"I know you guys know it, too! With every time we had a stalemate, each of us left feeling disappointed, but now? Now every time you guys leave you don't look angry, you don't look annoyed, you guys just look really bored. Don't think I don't notice these things just 'cuz Histy dropped me on my head when I was born."

"I said I was sorry! (O_O ')"

"That... Explains so much."

"Don't you guys see it? We're not doing this for our people anymore. We're doing it because we think we have to. That we'd be letting a lot of people down if we don't. Because we're scared of what everyone will think of us if we don't. And most of all, because we're all afraid of what everyone else will do if we don't stop them. Well, I'm done with all that! I don't care if you guys still want to keep going, but leave me out of it."

"..."

"..."

"..."

The CPUs fell silent. They couldn't really rebuke that. At some point their fiery determination to come out on top had faded and been replaced with a great sense of boredom and emptiness. They didn't want to admit it, but they were all getting fed up with this stupid "war" they'd been fighting for so many years. It was just a pointless battle that was going nowhere fast. And with each failure, the people all gradually began to lose interest in it as well, beginning to lose faith that it would ever end.

Deep down they all knew it. There was no real meaning to continuing any longer, and even if they did, they wouldn't have much to gain, not anything they would want at least. None of them really cared about control over Gamindustri anymore after such a fruitless, decades-long cold war between CPUs.

"What are you even... Ah, shut up! You're so full of shit!" Leave it to Blanc to be unable to accept the reality of the situation. "I can't stand you and your stupid excuses! You're just a freaking coward and you know it! Do whatever the hell you want, but I'm not leaving until we settle this shit once and for all!" Blanc continued to shout her thoughts as she always did, but this time there was something different. For once, her words felt forced. Her mind knew full well that Neptune was right, but her heart refused to accept it. Still she wasn't the only one having trouble accepting it.

"Calm yourself, Blanc. Losing your temper now isn't helping anything." Vert jumped in, her voice calm as ever. She looked to her fellow CPUs and soon reverted to her own human form, taking everyone aback for a moment at the sudden change. "I understand how you feel, but I would appreciate it if you could restrain yourself, even if only for a few minutes."

"For once, I agree. I don't think I even have it in me to fight you three now." Black Heart added as she too reverted to her human form. Somehow, listening to Neptune's little spheal had drained her of her will to fight. "So tell us, Neptune. What exactly brought about the sudden change of heart?" Noire asked. She may not have understood why Neptune was doing this, but it didn't take three guesses to figure out that she'd been acting oddly the last time she showed up to fight.

"Oh, you know... Stuff." Had anyone been paying attention, somebody might have heard the soft yawn coming from behind a certain tree. However, since everyone was so busy listening to Neptune at the moment, the yawn of the young girl waking up went completely unheard by all.

"Stuff? Is there something you're hiding from us, by any chance?" Noire asked.

"I-It's just stuff."

"What the hell does "stuff" mean?" White Heart yelled impatiently. Being the CPU with the shortest fuse, she was getting really irritated by the Purple CPU's antics. And when Neptune didn't give her an answer, and instead found a sudden fascination with the dirt at her feet, it only served to anger the White CPU even further. "I asked you a freaking question!"

"Look, it's complicated." Neptune responded. In truth, she just wanted to keep Nepgear a secret. Maybe she was just being overly paranoid, but she didn't want to think about what everyone might do if they found out that Planeptune had two Goddesses now. Of course, while Neptune was hopeful that the other CPUs didn't know about her sister yet, Histoire had a much different outlook on the matter.

News tended to travel rather quickly in this day and age, so there was a chance that they already knew about the new CPU Candidate... Unless of course, they'd holed themselves into their Basilicoms and focused on work instead of actually looking at any recent news, but the chances of that were virtually nonexistent.

"Tsk, fine if you don't want to talk, then fine!" Whether or not the other CPUs really did know about Nepgear or not quickly became irrelevant. Having had enough of Neptune's presence, White Heart lifted her axe into the air, getting even more pissed off seeing that Neptune wasn't even flinching at the sight of it. "If you're not gonna fight, then you shouldn't even be here!"

"Stop bullying my sister!" White Heart froze in place as the voice of an unknown guest made itself known. She, along with all of her fellow CPUs watched on in shock as a little girl that looked like a miniature Neptune with longer hair ran up to the Purple CPU's side and grabbed the side of her sweater. "Big sis, are you okay?"

"J-J-Jr.! What are you doing?!" Neptune asked in a panicked tone.

"Sh-She looked like she was bullying you!" Nepgear responded, looking up at her older sister in a teary-eyed state. The sight made something stir within Neptune's chest, not to mention in Histoire's as well. Seeing the girl looking so scared, Neptune looked to Histoire, as if hoping the oracle would know what to do, but no such luck. Apparently Histoire still wasn't used to dealing with Nepgear, which left Neptune to do it herself.

"I-It's alright, Nep Jr. We were just having a bit of an argument is all." Neptune explained, rubbing Nepgear's head all the while in the hopes that it would calm her down. Meanwhile, the other three CPUs stared on, dumbfounded at the sight in front of them.

"It seems that the rumors were true, after all." Vert mumbled just loud enough for everyone else around her to hear, except for a certain purple CPU, who was more preoccupied with calming her baby sister at the moment. "I just wasn't expecting the new Goddess to be so small."

Noire shook her head in response to Vert's remark, as if agreeing with the sentiment. They had indeed heard rumors of a new CPU, but they had found it very strange how Neptune didn't just bring her along the last time they had come together to fight instead of being absent like she had been. But now, looking at the sight that lay before them, it was finally starting to make more sense. "So I guess Neptune has a little sister now... Huh..."

"..." And yet out of all the CPUs, White Heart herself was the only one falling speechless at the sight in front of her. Not so much because she couldn't find the right words to express how she felt about this whole situation, but rather it was because she knew exactly how it made her feel.

Blanc was jealous. She was jealous that Neptune could stand here, completely unfazed by everything around her. She was jealous that Neptune seemed to have been getting stronger ever since the last time she actucally showed up here. But most of all, she was jealous that Neptune of all people had someone to call her family while Blanc herself had nobody.

"You..." Gritting her teeth, CPU White Heart's grip around her axe tightened as she continued to watch the Purple sisters completely ignore her. She had had enough of seeing all of this lovey-dovey family crap for one day. "I told you to beat it, you freaking bitch!"

And in the next instant, everything fell completely silent. Histoire, Vert, and even Noire watched on with wide eyes as time itself had slowed to a crawl. Little Nepgear's expression had gone from one of fear to absolute shock at what was transpiring. All the blood in Blanc's blood...had grown cold under Purple Heart's vicious glare.

The CPU looked down at her hands, only to see that her precious axe had been slashed to bits. But more importantly, she saw a long, shallow cut going across her body, from her shoulder down to her hip. And on top of it all, she could feel the cold steel of Purple Heart's blade making contact with the side of her neck.

Nobody was sure what had happened in that instant. One second it looked as if Blanc was about to swing her axe down at Neptune with Nepgear still in her arms, and yet the next... Blanc is falling to her knees in shock as Purple Heart stared her down with the coldest, most threatening glare anyone had ever seen from her. Even Histoire was completely taken aback by the sudden one-eighty from the very CPU she had been watching over for so many years. Just when she thought she had seen it all, Neptune went and showed that she hadn't seen anything yet.

"Like I said before. I have no intentions of continuing on with this pointless charade. I don't care what the rest of you plan to do from here on out, but leave us out of it." All was silent as Purple Heart spoke in a surprisingly calm, yet cold tone. A fierce determination shining in her eyes. She wasn't even talking very loudly, but in the silence of it all, her voice spoke with an authority and conviction that she may as well have been speaking through a megaphone. "Just know that if you should ever try and attack my...our nation, I will be the first one to greet you. And cut you down."

That short moment that had felt as if it had lasted for an eternity had come to an end as quickly as it had begun. Purple Heart's words still seemed to echo in the wind, even as she reverted back to her human form once more. Everyone stared at her silently with eyes wide, surprised to see the lazy Neptune finally showing her incredible resolve. It was what made her such a formidable foe, after all.

Neptune completely ignored everyone around her, shifting her focus back to little Nepgear, offering the younger purplette a little smile to ease the tension. Nepgear still looked a bit startled, but after a while, the flood gates opened in full and released the flood of tears. "S-S-S... Neptune!"

Everyone watched quietly as the two sisters shared their moment together, offering their silence as a show of respect to them. Histoire on the other hand was finding it a bit hard to stay quiet when she felt so proud of her CPU, and by extension, the little sister that had helped her grow to become such a strong person. In the end, nobody said anything for the longest time, but eventually the silence was broken. However, this time it was not broken by screaming and cursing, but rather by a more calm atmosphere.

The CPUs decided that day that they would allow Neptune to drop out of the Console War, but since it had become such a tiresome event, nobody really wanted to continue. Eventually, a decision was reached to sign a peace treaty between the nations after several meetings and arguments between the four. It had happened very slowly and over time, but eventually things did change for the better, and Neptune was finally able to live in peace as she ruled her nation...

Of course, over time, Nepgear had started taking a liking to spoiling her older sister as she grew and Neptune became even lazier than before, but who cares about semantics? This story sure as hell doesn't. Not like any of that really matters when Neptune had been taken through such a long trip through memory lane, and yet she still didn't have a single clue as to when she had fallen for her own sister.

 **-~-~-~- _Purple Lovers_ -~-~-~-**

"Huh... So all of that was pretty much pointless, then?" Sadly, yes. "...What the Nep, man! I went through all of that only to come up with nothing?! That's not how these stories work! I mean, it did remind me of a lot of stuff I'd forgotten since the, but now I'm no closer to... Wait a minute.."

The purple CPU sat up, as if she had just gone through some sort of epiphany.

"It wasn't pointless!" Neptune declared to the empty room. "That's right. Thinking back on it, I know exactly when it happened. It was a lot like back then on that day, but things were a lot different... Geez, all of this trouble just to figure out something that shoulda been waaaaaay more simple." The CPU let out a content sigh. Looking back, she knew exactly when all of these changes had occured. And now, all she had to do was confront Nepgear about it... Preferably while they were out. And it totally wasn't because she was nervous about it or anything! Nah, that was more Noire's thing that Neptune's after all... Yup, definitely not nervous at all...

What Neptune did not know at the time was that there even more significance to those memories than she thought. That very day that Neptune had put an end to the Console War, a change had begun to occur in Nepgear. The day when her feelings started to change ever so slightly. That little spark eventually led to a crazy spiral that eventually led to... Well, you already know how that song and dance goes.


	11. Not Calm Anymore!

"Geez, it's gotten kind of rusty since back then..." Neptune looked over the old sword Nepgear had given her all those years ago. Neptune hadn't used it for such a long time that it had gotten rather rusty, and in need of a lot of care. It was almost heart-breaking to Neptune that she'd actually let a gift from her own little sister fall into such a sorry state. "I wonder if one of the old Planeptune CPUs left behind a book about sword maintenance." It would be nice if she did, but Neptune wasn't going to get her hopes up. "I guess if I can't fix it up, then..."

Choosing to shelve the issue of the old sword for now, Neptune decided to get back to business now. Nepgear and Vert were probably waiting for her, so it wouldn't so to keep them waiting.

The purple CPU stepped out of her room, heading out to the living room area of the basilicom. She was pretty sure there was still some time left before the events would begin, but right now Neptune had this odd desire to go see Nepgear. It was kind of odd though, she'd only just realized she had some sort of repressed feelings for her, after all. She also wondered if she'd be able to act normally around Nepgear now that she was starting to understand this fact. Now that was the real issue.

And things only got even more complicated once Neptune stepped back into the living room and saw Nepgear sitting there with Histoire. Histoire was one thing, but Nepgear was looking really, really good… Oh goodness, maybe Neptune's feelings were becoming more intense now that she understood what they were and where they came from.

"Ah, Neptune. You did not tell me you were planning to go to a carnival. Could you explain to me why you decided this without telling me about it?" Oh gosh, Histy was in full on Pissty mode wasn't she? Neptune really wasn't looking forward to this.

"W-well… I was thinking it'd be a nice thing to do for my favorite sister, you know?" Neptune tried to explain. Unfortunately, it looked like it would take more than that to get Histy back in a more...acceptable mood. "Oh, right!" As if a metaphorical bell had begun to ring in the bell of her mind, Neptune thought of something. "Did you want to come with us?"

"Neptune… That is not the point!" Oh boy… It looked like Histoire was about to go off on another one of her lectures… Well, Neptune was definitely going to have to apologize for this later, but right now, she really didn't feel like sitting through another long-winded lecture. "Neptune…? What are you..." Before Histoire could say any more, Neptune walked up to her book… "Hmph!" And slammed it shut.

"S-sis! What are you doing?!" Nepgear practically jumped out of her seat when Neptune did that.

"I'll say sorry later, but if we listen to her lecture, then we'll probably miss the carnival." Neptune answered, not looking at her sister. "By the way, where's Vert?"

Nepgear wasn't sure if she liked the fact that Neptune was changing the subject, but then again… Histoire did often go overboard with her lectures a lot of the time… "I think she went to go take a shower."

"A shower, huh?" Which basically meant that Neptune was going to be alone with Nepgear for until Vert finished up in there. Neptune's mind was about to begin wondering how that could play out, but she was never fully able to get into it with Histoire squirming around in her book like she was. It was very distracting. "Then… I guess it's just you and me for now, huh… Just like old times, I guess..."

"Y-yeah…" Nepgear's voice came out a lot quieter than she would have liked, but she couldn't help it. Neptune wasn't even looking at her, she was just glancing over her shoulder every now and then, something probably wouldn't have noticed if she hadn't been looking so intently at Neptune. She couldn't help it though, she just had it that badly for Neptune.

The purple CPU was also out of her usual parka for once, instead wearing her jersey dress. That really wasn't doing Nepgear any favors when the girl was trying to stop thinking about Neptune. The more Nepgear looked at her sister, the more she wanted to be with her, and the more she wanted to be with her, the more it would hurt to be around her when Nepgear knew she could never have her.

"S-so… What's on TV?" Neptune awkwardly asked out of nowhere. The tension in the air was nigh unbearable and maybe a little bit of white noise might help ease that tension. The purple CPU didn't even wait for Nepgear to say anything as she quickly grabbed the remote nearby and turned on the television. Unfortunately, turning on the TV only ended up making things even more awkward between the two purple siblings as the first thing that popped up on the screen turned out to be some cheesy romance.

Suddenly Neptune was wishing she hadn't just done that, but at the very least she could still change the channel, which she did. Granted, that little romance shindig still elicited a blush from Nepgear at the thoughts of being like that with Neptune. It was almost as if the world didn't want her to forget those feelings and taunt her with thoughts of the one thing she would not be able to have. It was times like this that made her wish she hadn't been born as Neptune's little sister, then maybe there would have been a chance.

"Hey, this looks nice!" Neptune's exclamation brought Nepgear out of her thoughts as the purple-haired CPU finally settled on a channel that wasn't showing anything romantic and sat down next to Nepgear, still paying no mind to Histoire even though her book kept shaking as if there was a tiny person trapped-oh wait... "Sorry, Histy, but I'll let you out after you've taken a chill pill."

"Um..." So romantic interests aside, Nepgear couldn't help but feel a bit worried for Histoire. "I don't think she can breathe right now." Nepgear said that, but in all honesty, she had no idea if Histoire really needed to breathe like a normal person, since she was an artificially created being, coupled with the fact that she was able to go on such long-winded lectures without stopping.

"She'll be fine. She's been through worse..." Neptune said with a dismissive wave of her hand. Inside, she was debating with herself on whether or not she should just up and tell Nepgear how she felt about the candidate, but… She was kind of scared of how Nepgear would react… Call it silly, but she felt as if she should wait for the right moment before saying something.

"I guess you're right..." And that was it. Soon after that was said, the two purple sisters fell silent and the sounds of the TV became the dominant noise in the room, if you don't include the muffled noises Histoire was making from inside of her book, that is. Some might find it a bit annoying, but neither Neptune or Nepgear were even remotely bothered by it, mostly due to how they were too preoccupied with their own thoughts to care.

Eventually, the two siblings were so far gone with their own thoughts that they didn't notice that Histoire's book finally stopped shaking after the longest time. It wasn't because of lack of air or anything, but rather that Histoire had picked up on the duo's odd behavior. The two were being unusually silent for being...themselves. It just didn't fit with what Histoire had grown accustomed to from the two sisters purple. Then again, it was so obvious that just about anyone who knew the two of them would be able to notice their strange behavior, even if they were stuffed in a book like Histoire was at the moment.

"Neptune… Nepgear… Is something wrong?" Histoire finally asked after what felt like an eternity. Her voice came out muffled of course, but her calmer voice still brought the purple sisters out of the maelstrom of their thoughts. "The two of you are being far quieter than what I am used to. Especially you Neptune. Is something the matter?" Both sisters gulped as a cold sweat ran down their backs simultaneously. "Did something happen between the two of you?"

Leave it Histy to be so concerned whenever the purple sisters were concerned. "N-no, it's not like that… It's just..." Nepgear tried to think of what she should say next, but she was afraid that she would say something to tip Histoire off about what was really going on with her. Nepgear especially didn't want Histoire to know about her feelings for Neptune. She was just so afraid that Histoire would feel disappointed in her for having such feelings.

"What is it?" Histoire continued to press for answers. "If something is wrong, then please tell me. I may not show it as often as I probably should, but I do care about the both of you."

"..." What was Nepgear supposed to say to that? She wasn't the type of person that liked lying to Histoire's face, or the cover of her book in this case. "W-well… It's just..." Nepgear gulped as she searched for a proper answer, but as it turns out, there was no need for her to worry after all.

"Welp, I guess you've got me!" Just before Histoire could press any further, Neptune took the lead in the conversation. "Jr.'s been real worried about me since this morning. Poor girl keeps saying that I started acting kinda funny after drinking one of Gusty's potions or something. I keep telling her I'm fine, but I guess she just doesn't believe me."

"...Is this true, Nepgear?"

"Oh, Uh… Yes. That's exactly it!" Nepgear inwardly let out a sigh of relief. She supposed what Neptune said was technically true, even if it wasn't actually related to why the two were being so quiet right now. She did feel a bit bad to be going along with such a convenient answer, but considering the alternative, this was probably the best route to go with. "Sorry, sis… I just can't help but think about you so much..."

"Geez, you're such a worrywart, Nep Jr." For a second, Neptune could have sworn that she almost saw a slight blush on her little sister's face. She wasn't sure what it was about, but… Then again… "You don't have to worry about me so much. You should think about yourself a little bit more, like I do." This time Neptune for sure noticed the minute blush on Nepgear's face, but she also noticed that she almost immediately looked away from her.

"I know..." Nepgear fell silent.

"..." Histoire herself had gone silent once more, mulling over the matter. She could tell that there was definitely something more going on that she didn't know about, but being the ever so insightful person she was, Histoire knew it would likely take a lot to get a proper answer from them. "You two can be quite a handful at times… Although I suppose that is something that I have grown accustomed to by now." As Histoire finished she calmly went back to getting out of her book, this time however she actually got out after a bit of effort, albeit much calmer than when Neptune quite literally slammed the book in her face… Kind of funny how that worked out in the end.

"Sorry about shutting the book in your face, Histy..." Neptune finally apolagized, a bit awkwardly and with a bow of her head, to the tiny fairy oracle. "I got a little carried away there." The CPU let out an awkward chuckle as she rubbed the back of her head with a hint of bashfulness.

The oracle sighed. "Yes yes… My, I believe I am going to need a long nap after this..." Histoire rubbed her temples in exhaustion. "Well, that aside, have fun at this carnival, you two."

"Yeah, sure thing- Wait, what?!" Neptune exclaimed, her eyes widening slightly – a reaction which Nepgear mimicked without even intending to. She must have been going a bit crazy because it almost sounded like Histoire just said-

"I said have fun at the carnival." Yeah! That!

"Histy, are you feeling alright?! You're not coming down with something, are you?!" Sure, Neptune was probably more surprised by that remark than she should have been, but can you really blame her when Histy was practically known for having a stick inserted into a place nobody would want a stick to be. "Jr.! Go get the medicine!"

"R-right!" Granted, before Gear could actually go bring some medicine, Histoire piped in.

"I am perfectly fine, thank you very much!" The impatient oracle put on a huffy expression as she continued. "Since you two are not in the best of moods right now, some air might be good for you two. Best to go clear your heads and talk about whatever's bothering you two like you always do. Just make sure you don't return until you have gotten over whatever is bothering you."

"...Well… I guess if Histy says so." Neptune rubbed the back of her head as she let it sink in that Histoire was being rather passive for once. "But we still have to wait for Vert to get out of the shower."

"Did someone call my name?" Speak of the giant-boobied devil… Although Succubus would probably be a more apt term to describe the Leanbox CPU. Anyway, point is, she was finally out of the shower and entering the room in her usual dress. "Is it almost time for us to head to the carnival?"

"Oh, Ms. Vert." The purple candidate sat up from her seat, along with Neptune. Apparently they were going to the carnival a lot sooner than they had expected. "We were just waiting on you."

"Then I guess we should get going if you're ready, Verty." The purple CPU gulped. She had been hoping that Vert would take a little longer to get out so she could have a little bit more time to come up with a battle plan ready on how she should talk to Nepgear carnival, but now… Well, now she was just going to have to wing it… At least she was pretty good at going with the flow.

"I am ready any time. Let us depart at once." Vert exclaimed, not even waiting for the purple sister as she was already heading for the door… Err, scratch that last part. She was heading for the window. "It should take us virtually no time to arrive if we fly there." She said to… Actually, I can't tell if that was directed at me or the purple sisters. Oh well.

"Yeah… I guess so..."

It was with a nervous heart that Neptune and Nepgear followed after the Green CPU out of the window. Histoire first sighed as she watched the CPUs fly off before promptly closing the window. All the while, the oracle was stuck wondering just what was going through those two's heads right now. Why did they have to be so hard to read at times…? Well, Histoire supposed that it didn't really matter so long as they made up.

Now it was only just a matter of time before Neptune finally honed up and talked to Nepgear about these feelings. Granted, that thought frightened her more than anything right now. The thought of how Nepgear would react to it… Neptune just hoped with all of her heart that the two would at least be able to go home together, if nothing else.

Now if only Neptune knew how Nepgear felt…


	12. Worlds Apart!

"Oh my. I don't think I've ever seen a carnival this lively before." Now that the trio of CPUs had arrived at the carnival, Vert found herself impressed with how festive it all was. The food stands, the various games, and not to mention all of the people here with their friends smiling and having a good time. The whole place just gave off a happy and cheerful vibe, making it an ideal scenario for older women to steal away irresponsible girls' little sisters. "Perhaps I should try going to a carnival in Leanbox some time. Although… That would also mean I'd have to be away from 4GO for at least a few hours in order to visit… My, this is truly a terrible dilemma."

"Only Verty would ever get so wound up about this kind of thing, eh Jr." It was then that the older CPU nudged her little sister.

"She really does like her games..." Nepgear deadpanned. It was one thing to like games the way Neptune did, but Vert… Vert was practically a borderline addict. "So… Where should we go first?" Little did the candidate know, but Neptune had been waiting for her sister to ask that very question.

"Well, I'm glad you asked, Jr." The purple CPU then produced a map from out of her sweater pocket. "I was thinking we could go on the Merry-Go-Round, maybe the Haunted House thingie, stop by the good 'ol Ferris Wheel and then, if you don't mind, we could have a nice little float-along in the Tunnel of Love."

The purple candidate turned her head, trying to hide the blush she had at the mention of the Tunnel of Love. There was no way that Neptune had anything romantic envisioned for that the way Nepgear did. Of that much Nepgear was sure of… And yet, her heart was so desperately wishing she did.

"...Oh... I think I get it now..."

"Did you say something, sis?" Nepgear asked quizzically. Although maybe she was just hearing things, but the candidate could have sworn she heard her sister mutter something under her breath.

"This map is a scratch and sniff. See? It smells like pudding!" It took nearly everything Nepgear had not to facepalm herself then and there. She never knew what to expect from her older sister… Then again, that was just one of the many things she loved about her. "You know, Jr…" The purple candidate perked an eyebrow, a bit surprised that Neptune's voice had become so calm all of a sudden. "I think I might be a bit too dense for my own good."

"...Huh?" Was all Nepgear could think to say in response to that. "Where is this coming from all of a sudden?"

"Well, I mean… I only just now figured out the secret of this map here. And there's a bunch of other stuff I can't figure out on my own without help from someone. I mean seriously, I only just now figured out something so obvious."

"Well… Um..." What was Nepgear supposed to say to that? All of this felt like it was coming way out of left field. Was there supposed to be some hidden meaning behind this that Neptune just wasn't telling her? It certainly felt like that's what was going on right now. "Am I missing something here?"

The purple CPU sighed before responding. "Don't worry about it, Jr., you'll see what I mean soon enough."

Well, that totally wasn't cryptic in any way. It should go without saying, but that only served to make Nepgear feel even more confused than she was before. "What do you-"

"It's decided!" Before Nepgear could press the subject any further, Vert suddenly interrupted with a sudden exclamation. "I will have to sacrifice a few precious hours of 4GO, but that is nothing compared to the several years I'd missed because of the CFWs." As usual, Vert seemed to be off in her own little world, or maybe it made more sense to say that she was finally breaking out of said world. "Although… There is supposed to be a new update sometime soon with new mounts… Argh, perhaps I should push my visit back a day or two... Or seven"

"Yo, Verty!" The busty CPU turned to face the purple CPU, who was waving a hand in front of the blonde's face. "If you're done talking to yourself can we get a move on? I want to get on the rides already."

"My, you certainly are quite eager to get going, aren't you, Neptune?" Of course, that went without saying; the excited look on Neptune's face did all of the talking for her. "Although I suppose there is no sense in standing around here any longer. Let us go. I am rather interested in seeing what a Planeptune carnival is like."

"Then get ready to have your socks knocked off, Verty, old buddy, old pal of mine." The purple CPU didn't even bother waiting for the other two as she simply grabbed Nepgear and Vert's hands and rushed forward through the entrance area. Her two partners in crime were both quite taken aback by the sudden action, but promptly righted themselves and followed behind the cheerful CPU.

"My, I knew you were excited about this, but I didn't think you would be this excited." Vert said as she followed after the purple CPU. What she did not expect was for the purple CPU to stop the way she did upon hearing Vert's words. The short purplette's hair seemed to wave dramatically in the wind as she slowly turned to face her two companions.

"Of course I am!" The purple CPU declared ferociously.

"W-what the goodness has gotten into you, sis?" Nepgear asked meekly. The response she got however was… unexpected to say the least. Instead of properly answering her little sister's question, Neptune merely took a few steps forward and ripped a nearby poster off a wall before showing it off to her sister and old friend.

"This!" The CPU held out the poster with great pride for all to see… But uh… She was a bit confused when she realized that neither Vert nor Nepgear had the type of reaction she was hoping for. "Huh… I was kind of expecting you guys to… Oh..." Neptune turned the piece of paper around so that she could look at it herself, and a part of her was quickly beginning to regret looking. "This is the wrong one..."

Vert sighed at her shorter friend's reaction. Neptune began to blush profusely out of her embarrassment, and even though she wasn't going to say anything about it… Nepgear found it really cute to see Neptune blushing like that.

"Let's pretend that never happened." Neptune said in an attempt to ignore this little blunder, throwing away the poster she had grabbed before reaching out to another one. The right one this time. "This is what I was talking about." Neptune now held out the right poster, without all of the flare from before, and this time the reactions she got were exactly what she was expecting.

"Cat theatre?" Vert muttered aloud. That sounded like the silliest thing she'd ever heard and she doubted that would be very entertaining at all.

 **-~-~-~- _Purple Lovers_ -~-~-~-**

"Cat theatre~!" Vert exclaimed joyously. This was the cutest thing she'd ever seen and she doubted she had ever been this entertained by cats, including internet videos.

"So this new attraction is about cats reenacting famous scenes from various forms of media?" Nepgear asked Neptune, who was sated in between her and Vert.

"Yepperoni." Neptune responded. "Although since cats can't talk they have to rip the lines straight from the shows they're having them reenact. And of course, the one to give them the idea was none other than your truly!" Leave it to Neptune to come up with the silliest, and most awesome, ideas. "If it does well enough, then I'm sure they'll make it a regular attraction of theirs."

"That sounds absolutely wonderful." Vert added in, still completely engrossed in the epic scene playing out before her eyes. "Oh, I think it's getting close to the climax!" And sure enough, dramatic music began playing.

" **Hah.** " A golden cat stepped forward, decorated with green hearts as it faced down a black cat wearing a hat that looked like its hair, but probably wasn't, with a menacing stare. " **I'll spare you a bit of praise.** " The golden cat continued to strut forward with a great sense of swagger as the black cat walked forward in kind. The two locked eyes as the tension built up until finally reaching a breaking point. " **WRRRRRYYYYYYYYY!** "

All of a sudden, the two cats clashed in a flurry of strikes too fast for the eye to comprehend. The mere force of their clashing blows created rippled in the air as the two battered one another while unleashing their own furious battle cries.

" **ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA!** "  
" **MUDA MUDA MUDA MUDA MUDA MUDA MUDA!** "

"I wish I could take pictures of this." Vert said to herself, holding back a squeal, unlike all of the other girls in the audience that were absolutely losing it over the cuteness of watching two cats swat at each other in such a silly fashion.

Nepgear watched with a similar reaction, chuckling at the absurdity of what she was witnessing. A part of her almost didn't want it to end, because she knew all too well that once it did she'd have to go back to the real world, and... Well, for now all that really mattered was that she was having fun. Although the purple candidate still couldn't help but cast the occasional glance at her sister, and still feel a hint of joy seeing her smile. What she didn't know is that there was a bit more to that smile than she knew.

"What the hell! This was supposed to calm me down before I talk to Jr., so why is my heart still pounding like crazy?"

"Hm? Did you say something, Neptune?" Vert asked curiously.

"Ah. N-nah, you must be hearing things." The purple CPU said, although she knew Vert wouldn't be convinced by just that... "Look, it's getting to the good part now." Which is why Neptune was really, really glad that there were cats to keep the green CPU's attention.

" **And now, without pause, my final attack! The last and final time I will stop time! Within my nine seconds of stopped time, I will end this! ZA WARUDO!** "

"I knew I should have brought my phone with me!" Vert lamented her poor choice as nearly everyone else in the audience was already snapping pictures of their favorite scenes being performed by a pair of small cats.

" **ROAD ROLLER DA!** "

" **GRR! RRRRRGH! ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA!** "  
" **Too slow! You cannot escape anymore! MUDA MUDA MUDA MUDA MUDA MUDA MUDA!** "

"Oh my goodness, this is so adorable!" Nepgear squeeled in excitement, almost jumping out of her seat as the golden kitty dropped a cardboard steam roller onto the black kitten and the two began scratching at it in a rapid-fire pace. The over-the-top sound effects and voice clips made it an absolute joy to watch... which made it all the more painful for Vert to know that she would be unable to take videos of the spectacle.

"I need to start bringing my phone with me more often." Vert's eyes were a bit downcast as she saw Nepgear and Neptune happily filming away at the spectacle. She almost felt like slapping herself a bit until she felt someone nudge her side.

"Don't worry about it. I'll share the video with ya online, Verty buddy." Those words were all it took to make Vert feel just a little bit better about all of this.

"You have my thanks, Neptune." Vert's voice was almost inaudible as the audience began to go wild in excitement as the performance was nearly coming to an end. The purple CPU quickly gave Vert a quick thumbs up to let her know she'd heard her loud and clear.

"Still not helping." The purple CPU muttered beneath her breath, not that she really needed to now that the noise everyone was making would probably drown her out. She couldn't help but feel a bit disappointed that this little excursion wasn't helping ease her nerves at all… Then again…

"I hope we can come see another one some time." Seeing the way Nepgear was laughing and smiling… Maybe this detour had helped a little bit…

" **I-Impossible! Kono Kitty Ga! KONO KITTY GAAAAAAAAA!** "

" **Kitty, there's only one reason you lost… You really pissed me off.** "

Neptune also made a mental note to come back to see another one of these at some point. Maybe if everything went well she and Nepgear could come back as a loving couple… That sounded really nice.

 **-~-~-~- _Purple Lovers_ -~-~-~-**

"Ah, that was a much more pleasant experience than I had expected." Vert said, a content smile plastered all over her face. "I do hope they come out with more of those. There are so many other scenes I'd love to see reenacted that it'd be a shame if they stopped at only just one." Both Neptune and Nepgear completely agreed with that sentiment.

"I especially liked the part with the steam roller. That was always my favorite part in the anime." That settled it! Neptune and Nepgear were soul mates.

"Oho. You have good tastes, little sister of mine. That just so happens to be big Nep's favorite part too." Not only was Nepgear cute, but she even liked the same kinds of anime as Neptune! That pretty much settled it. "I'm bored. Let's go on some rides now!"

"Huh… Oh okay…" Although a bit taken aback by the sudden interest in rides, Nepgear decided to just go along with it. No point in arguing against that when they were at a carnival of all things.

"Hmm..." Well, maybe Nepgear wasn't going to argue, but Vert? Well, her stomach had other ideas about what it wanted her to do right about now. "You two go on ahead. I'd like to grab something to eat first."

Get something to eat first? That didn't really make much sense to Neptune, given that they were at a cranival and all, and there were some pretty intense rides all over the place. Seriously, what was the point of eating something so soon if you were probably going to end uo throwing it all up a few rides later? "I'd save the food for after we're done with the rides, but whatever floats your boat, Verty."

"I will catch up to you as soon as I am done." And maybe some food will help me come up with a plan to make Nepgear willingly become my little sister. The green CPU added inwardly.

"See ya in a few." The purple CPU cheerfully said, smiling as her friend went off on her own.

"We'll try not to get too far from the food stalls." Nepgear called out as Vert continued on her merry way. A few seconds later and she was out of sight, leaving the two purple siblings to their own devices. It was only after the green CPU was out of sight that the purple candidate was beginning to feel as though she had made a horrible mistake.

"Now, let's see here..." Nepgear glanced over at Neptune, who was currently looking over a map of the carnival grounds in search of any nearby rides, completely oblivious to the thoughts swirling around in her little sister's head. "Hmm… This one looks good… Though I was hoping we could go there last..."

"Um… S-sis." Nepgear almost choked on her words as she called out her sister's name. The purple CPU locked eyes with Nepgear, the purple candidate almost blushing at the beauty of her older sister's purple orbs.

"What's up?" Neptune asked curiously. She could have sworn she saw the formings of a blush on Nepgear's face, but what did she have to be blushing about any...way…?

"Oh, I was thinking that maybe we should get some food, too. I'm kind of hungry and I haven't gotten to eat much today."

"Nonsense!" Neptune exclaimed dramatically, taking Nepgear by surprise a bit. "We gotta treasure all these little moments with the two of us."

"W-well, I guess I agree about that, b-but still-"

"There's that and..." The purple CPU's tone suddenly shifted to a more serious one, causing Nepgear's words to catch in her throat. "...There's something I wanted to talk to you about."

The blush that had been forming on Nepgear's face began to die down as curiosity took place over her other emotions. "T-talk about what?" The candidate asked in the hopes of shedding some light on this situation.

"Well… Let's get on one of the rides first. I don't want to talk about it with so many people around." And now Nepgear was even more interested in whatever it was that Neptune wanted to talk about… Although… Deep down she had a bad feeling about it. It would later prove to be completely unfounded, but she didn't know that now.

"Oh… Okay." Nepgear fell silent as she let her older sister guide the way around the carnival grounds. Although what was even more surprising is, even Neptune was being completely quiet as the duo of purpleheads walked through the crowds in search of… Something. Nepgear wasn't sure where they were going, but judging by the look on Neptune's face, she already knew where she wanted to go.

"It should be around here somewhere." Neptune muttered as she continued walking forward with her little sister in tow. She was suddenly feeling really thankful that the carnival grounds weren't all that big right about now. "Maybe over here…? Ah! Bingo!" The two sisters finally came to a halt as they turned a corner, Neptune's destination finally revealed.

"Th-the T-t-tunnel of L-love...?" So Neptune had wanted to talk to Nepgear in the Tunnel of Love, huh… 3… 2… 1… "What the goodness!?"

Too bad Nepgear was too caught up in her own little world at the moment, otherwise she might have noticed the small smirk on her big sister's face.

"You're so cute when you get all flustered, Nep Jr." Now Neptune just needed to say that loud enough to drown out the sound of her pounding heart. It was kind of funny. Neptune had fought against several powerful enemies, like the CFWs, the Deity of Sin, and even the ancient CPU of a long forgotten nation, but none of those compared to the new foe she now had to overcome.

Granted, that foe happened to be love, and it was known for being quite ruthless.


	13. The Way You Make Me Feel!

"Th-the T-t-tunnel of L-love!?" Nepgear gawked with saucer-wide eyes. "W-why?" Did they really have to go into the tunnel of love of all places? Wasn't this supposed to be a ride made for couples? Why did Neptune have to come here of all places?!

"Is there something wrong with wanting to go on a ride with my little sister?" The purple CPU asked, winking mischievously. She must have had some sort of hidden agenda for this; Nepgear just didn't know what it was. "And besides, I wanted a nice, quiet place to talk with ya where no one can hear us. Just you and me."

"B-but then why can't we just go somewhere else? L-like the Ferris wheel?" Deep down, a part of Nepgear was screaming at her to just shut up and go along with this. She knew that it didn't really matter where they went, so long as they were together, but at the same time... She liked the idea of being together in a more romantic environment. She felt like it might give her a chance to really let her mind wander and fantasize about what it might be like to be together. This was a part of Nepgear that she hated herself for, but one she couldn't get rid of.

"Come on, Jr., it'll be fun." Neptune said, not wanting to back down. "I mean, we're already here, so we might as well go."

"B-but-"

"Oh come on, Jr.!" Before Nepgear could finish that thought, Neptune took her by the arm and started pulling her ever closer to the water on which the boats arrived on. "Fun waits for no Nep!" The purple candidate yelped as she was pulled forward. It was at times like these that she cursed her sister's ridiculously high strength stat and simultaneously appreciated the fact that her hands were so soft and gentle. It was an odd mix, but it was appropriate for someone as oddly unique as Neptune.

It only took a matter of seconds before the two were right at the entrance, and by the time Nepgear had righted herself, she took notice of the fact that Neptune was not letting go of her arm. There was definitely no way to back out of this now. Once Neptune set her mind on something, she always saw it through to the end. It was one of the many, many things Nepgear loved about her sister, even now that it had gotten the candidate into a situation like this.

"A-alright. You win." The purple candidate relented saying that. She wasn't sure her heart would even be able to handle being all alone with Neptune on such a small boat in a dark, intimate tunnel ride.

"Hey, don't look so glum, Jr." Unaware of the thoughts going on in her sister's head, the purple CPU just continued to smile. "Or do you not want to go on a ride with your big sis?" For a mere second Neptune's smile shifted into a faux pout directed at her little sister.

"N-no, that's not it." Well, technically it was, but it also wasn't at the same time. "It's just... Isn't this a ride for...c-c-couples?" That was the best excuse Nepgear could come up with at the only problem with that however, was that Neptune had a slightly different opinion on the matter.

"Well, I guess they kind of are... But isn't that mostly just on TV? I mean, how often do you see couples get on the thing in real life?"

"T-that's..." Nepgear did not have a good rebuttal for that. How could she rebuke that when she rebuke that when she'd never been on this ride before in her whole life? "Well..." The purple candidate puffed out her cheeks and pointed her eyes towards the ground out of embarrassment. That gesture was short-lived,and before she even realized it Neptune was pulling her forward once again. That could only mean one thing...

"Our boat's here!"

"I knew it." Nepgear muttered under her breath. She had hoped that the boat would take a little longer to show up. Nepgear was definitely not ready for this to happen! She didn't know if her heart would be able to handle it...

"Easy does it." At least Neptune was being really gentle in getting Nepgear on the little swan boat, but... Did they really have to do this? This was making Nepgear feel a lot of different emotions all at once that she had no idea how to deal with. "Come on, Jr., don't be so tense." There was a very specific reason for that tension, though!

"R-r-right." Much as Nepgear tried to keep a calm appearance, her voice was a terrible give-away as to her true feelings about this whole situation. Although the worst part about this was probably the fact that Neptune didn't know - and might not ever know - what was causing Nepgear to feel this way.

"...Hey, are you feeling all right, Jr.?" The older Nep sister leaned a bit closer to get a good look at her sister, but this only made Nepgear's cheeks flush with just a hint of red. "Whoa, you look like you're heating up. Maybe we should go see a doctor or something."

"N-no, I'm fine! Really!"

"You sure?"

"I'm sure." The look on Neptune's face made it very clear that she didn't believe Nepgear. Not that it really mattered either way, since their little swan boat was beginning its journey through the very tunnel that would change the two's lives forever. "Okay, maybe a little."

"Well shoot!" Neptune could be heard snapping her fingers as the boat slowly continued drifting forward through the water. The further it encroached inside of the cave, the harder it became to see, until eventually Nepgear was unable to see anything at all, including the sly smirk Neptune had on her face. Eventually, they did make it to a point in the tunnel where the light had finally returned, by which point Neptune had made sure to wipe the smirk off of her face before Nepgear got a chance to see it. "Well, I guess we'll just have to wait until the ride's over. Think you can hold out 'till then, Jr.?"

No! No, definitely not! There was no possible way Nepgear could possibly hold out stuck in a tiny boat with the person she loved more than anything in the world! "I'll try." Whether or not she would succeed was another matter entirely.

 **-~-~-~- _Purple Lovers_ -~-~-~-**

The moment their boat had started moving, Nepgear did not know what to expect, but she was sure that it would end with her hating herself by the end of it, but... Things had turned out much different than she'd expected. In all truth, Nepgear was actually starting to feel a bit worried. Although the purple candidate was too preoccupied with her own thoughts to notice it at first, she soon came to realize that Neptune was being oddly quiet... Too quiet.

Neptune and quiet were not generally two words paired together in the same sentence, and yet here was Neptune, being far too silent for someone as energetic and cheerful as her should be. That alone was more than enough to get Nepgear feeling suspicious. It was possible Nepgear was just being overly paranoid, but she couldn't help herself when the one she loved was involved.

Was Neptune not feeling well? Nepgear could hardly tell what was going on with her sister half the time, so figuring out what was wrong now would be quite the challenge.

The truth of the matter though, was a little bit more complicated. "Sis, are you all right?" Nepgear asked innocently. "It's not like you to be so quiet..."

"Wha... Of course, I'm fine!" Neptune tried to play everything off as if she was fine, but Nepgear could see through her facade in an instant.

"...Sis... Neptune, I've known you since I was born. I can tell when you're lying." The moment Nepgear said that, Neptune gulped and started looking a bit worried. But what did she have to feel worried about?

"Come on, Jr., you worry too much. I'm just uh... Thinking about something is all..."

"...What are you thinking about?"

"...Hmm, well, it's uh... Complicated..."

And just like that, Neptune piped up all over again. This time however, it looked as if the purple CPU was debating something with herself. What it was, Nepgear no idea. "You know, you can tell me anything, right?"

"I can't! At least... Not yet." Not yet? What was that supposed to mean?

"Please tell me. I can't help if I don't know what's wrong." Little did Nepgear know that she was the reason Neptune was having such complicated emotions.

"I'm fine, Jr., you don't need to worry about me so much." That did little to change how worried Nepgear was.

"...Of course I worry about you..." Nepgear's voice lowered in volume as she muttered her next few words. "Because I love you..." The candidate's cheeks flushed lightly as the words left her mouth. She knew that probably didn't mean much to Neptune, but there was no denying that it meant so much more.

"...I love you, too, Jr." Of course Neptune would say that. Nepgear had kind of expected that sort of response... But why did it still hurt so much to hear it? Why couldn't Nepgear just let go of all these feelings that had accumulated inside of her over all these years? Why... Why did she have to fall in love with her own sister...? "Hmm... I guess I should just say it now and get it out there..."

"W-what is it?" Despite her curiosity, Nepgear had to look away. Her heart was starting to feel heavy and she could feel the tears coming. She could try to fight the feelings off, but she knew she couldn't deny her heart for much longer. Nepgear could already imagine how Neptune would react if the candidate just started crying out of nowhere and she really didn't want to go through that right now.

"W-well... I've been thinking lately... About a lot of stuff." Nepgear only continued to look away, about to bring a hand to her face to try and rub the tears away before they even came, but before that could happen... "But mostly... I've been thinking about you..." Just as Nepgear was going in to rub her eyes, she froze midway.

"What do you mean?" Neptune went silent as the question left Nepgear's lips, the candidate turning back to face the older CPU. Was she thinking about how to explain herself or.

"I mean, I... I... Arrgh, why does this have to be so complicated?!" And just like that, Neptune threw her arms to her sides, almost hitting Nepgear in the process. Said candidate yelped a bit in surprise as a result, while the purple CPU started running her hands through her hair in frustration. She kept this up for a few seconds, and just as Nepgear was about to say something, Neptune finally stopped and seemed to calm down. "I've been having this really weird feeling in chest lately..."

"Feeling in your chest...?" What was that supposed to mean?

"Yeah... You see, I..." Was Neptune really not feeling well...? Could it have been...

"M-maybe you just have gas." It was a good thing the two were on a boat, otherwise Neptune might have face-planted right onto the ground upon hearing that. Instead she settled for a deadpan stare while Nepgear sniffled a bit and took a deep breath.

"No! It's not gas!"

"Are you sure?"

"Yes! I'm sure!"

"...Then what is it?"

"I was getting to that... Ugh... I'm not good at this kind of thing."

"S-sis, you can tell me if there's something-"

"I love you, Nepgear..."

"Wha..." Was... Had Nepgear missed something here? Didn't... Didn't Neptune already say that. Why was she repeating herself again? That was only going to make Nepgear feel even worse than she already did. "I-I know... You already-"

"Not like that..."

"...Not like what...?" If she hadn't been confused before, Nepgear was most certainly confused now. Just what was Neptune trying to say?

"Nepgear... I've been thinking about you a lot recently... A lot more than I think I ever have before." Neptune's cheeks flared up as she continued on. Nepgear on the other hand? She looked like a deer caught in the headlights. It almost made Neptune giggle a bit, but she held herself back. "And... And the more I think about, the more I get this feeling in my chest... I've been feeling like that ever since we came here, actually."

"..." Against her better judgement, Nepgear decided to hear Neptune out. She wasn't sure she would like where this was going or not, but her inquisitive nature got the better of her.

"I never really thought about it before, but somewhere down the line, I... I think the way I started looking at you changed... You used to be my tiny, little sister who was scared of almost everything and hid behind my back, but now... Now you're all grown up and... And you're taller than me, and you're smarter than me, and you're prettier than me, too!"

"...Wait-"

"I know this probably sounds weird to hear all of a sudden and all-"

"Wait, I-"

"But I really mean it! And I'm sorry I never realized any of this sooner, but-"

"Wait!" She hadn't meant it to come out as loud as it did, but the myriad of emotions swirling around inside Nepgear's chest was making it hard to keep herself in check. She was... She needed to make sure she wasn't hearing things, because the words coming out of Neptune's mouth right now sounded as if they came out of one of Nepgear's dreams. "What are you...trying to say right now?"

"..." Although taken aback at first by Nepgear's sudden outburst, Neptune shortly collected herself after taking in a deep, deep breath. She tried to steady her heart by putting a hand to her chest before she gently cupped Nepgear's face with her hands, staring directly into her eyes. Her hands may have been a little sweaty, and more than a little shaky, but Nepgear felt a sense of comfort in their warmth. "I'm saying... That I'm in love with you, Nepgear."

"...H-huh...?" To say that Nepgear had not expected that would be the understatement of the century.

"...What do you mean 'huh'? Didn't you hear me."

"It... It feels like I'm hearing things... Wh-what did you say just now...?" The girl's eyes were trembling, her whole body was shaky, in fact. Nepgear wasn't sure if she was just hearing things or she was just dreaming right now... If so, then...this was a dream she wouldn't mind staying in for a little while longer. As for Neptune though...

"..." Neptune blinked. Her mind was a bit slow in registering what Nepgear had just said, but... She was coming to realize that this wasn't going as bad as she'd expected. A smile slowly spread across her face, seeing Nepgear's cute reaction. "Come on, don't make me say it again. It's kind of embarrassing." In a way, Nepgear was like a high school girl just finding out that the person she had a crush on liked her back. That almost made Neptune want to keep messing with her, but... That could wait until later. For now though... "All right, I'll say it again... I'm in love with you, Nepgear."

"Y-y-you what?" This situation just felt more and more unbelievable with each passing second. Was Neptune really saying those words right now? Was there any way to know for sure that Nepgear wasn't just in some sort of coma and-

"Geez, how many times are you gonna make me say it... Ooh, wait, I have a better idea!"

"I just... I can't believe that this is happe- Mmph!" Before Nepgear could finish that thought, something unexpected happened. "Mmm...? HMMMMMM!" Neptune brought their lips together in for the most surprising kiss Nepgear had ever experienced in her life. It was also the only kiss she'd had in entire life, but that's beside the point. "Hhht thh hhhdhhss!?" (Translation: What the goodness!?)

"Hmm, hm hhrinn hu hmph huu hhrr. Hmph hhill." (Translation: "Hey, I'm trying to kiss you here. Hold still.") Now, normally Nepgear might try to ask what Neptune was trying to say just now, but for the time being, she was a little more preoccupied with freaking out over the fact that the target of her affection was locking lips with her. Luckily, Neptune did eventually pull away from the young candidate. Good timing, too, because Nepgear wasn't sure how much longer she would have been able to hold out before passing out from all the blood rushing to her face and all.

"Wha-wha-wha-wha-" Apparently Nepgear was still reeling heavily from that sudden kiss if she was having so much trouble forming a proper sentence to get her thoughts across. "What the goodness?!"

"I told you... I love you, Nepgear... I really do." And just like that, Nepgear's world had just been flipped upside-down in only a few short moments. The dream that she had once believed to be impossible for such a long time now felt so much closer to her grasp than she could have ever imagined was possible.


	14. Eager For More!

She thought it would have been pointless. She thought she didn't have a chance at it. And above all else, she thought Neptune wouldn't feel the same way... And so right now, Nepgear's brain was having a hard time wrapping itself around the fact that she had been wrong on all accounts.

Neptune had just said that she was in love with Nepgear. She even went so far as to lock lips with the candidate, yet, even with that display of affection, Nepgear was having trouble believing it nonetheless. She had told herself so many times that it would never happen; that it would be a waste of time to think about, but now she didn't know what to think.

"You... You love me?" Nepgear let the words slip from her mouth. A part of her was scared that Neptune would just come out and say she was joking, but at the same time...

"Come on, I just said that, didn't I? Course, if you want, I can keep saying it. I love you, Nepgear." Neptune could also come out and say something to make Nepgear's heart dance joyfully in her chest. It was something she was really good at, even if she didn't always realize she had that kind of effect on her little sister. If she did she'd probably abuse that power to make Nepgear dance in the palm of her hand.

"I just..." She just couldn't believe this was real.

"You just...?"

"I just..." She couldn't believe Neptune really felt the same way.

"You just what?"

"I just..." She just couldn't believe...that her dream was finally coming true. "I just love you so much!"

Without a second thought, Nepgear threw herself into her sister's embrace, tears streaming down her face as she wrapped both arms around Neptune. She felt so happy, so relieved that she never wanted to let go of Neptune ever again. She never wanted to let go of this feeling for as long as she lived.

"Ugah... I know this is supposed to be a a touching moment and all, but you could you maybe give me a warning the next time you want to knock the wind out of my lungs, Jr.?" Okay, so maybe Nepgear could stand to let go for a little bit.

"I... I'm sorry, I just-" A finger to her lips silenced Nepgear before she could finish.

"It's fine. You don't need to apologize, you just...surprised me a little is all." A smile graced the CPU's lips. This coupled with the subtle lights surrounding the duo's little boat made Neptune's face look hypnotic in a way Nepgear rarely ever got to see. "Now then..."

"...Wait, what are you... Kyah!" From Neptune's face to looking up at the ceiling, Nepgear was really going to get a bad case of whiplash from that. "Please don't tackle me like that."

"Didn't you do that to me just a minute ago?" This was true.

"That's uh..."

"I think we're even now."

"Well-"

"Shh... Just enjoy the moment." Nepgear could feel the subtle feeling of Neptune wrapping her arms around the younger candidate. Was Nepgear blushing? She was pretty sure she was blushing right now! Given the circumstances, it'd be weird if she wasn't blushing. There was no way she couldn't be blushing right now. "Wait a minute!"

"Eh... Is something wrong?" All of a sudden, Neptune had just up and torn herself off of her sister for some unknown reason. It almost worried Nepgear, but... This was Neptune she was dealing with here.

"If you and I are going out now... Does that mean I can grope you whenever I want?" Good ol' Neptune.

"Wha-wha-wha-wha-" As expected, Nepgear recoiled by covering her chest with her arms for obvious reasons.

"Come on Jr., it's not like anyone's gonna see us in here." Or so Neptune had thought, but when she actually looked forward, she could see the light at the end of the tunnel, and not the metaphorical kind, a real actual light. For a moment Gear thought she might be in the clear, but she was clearly underestimating her older sister's perversion. "Drats... Well, at least we've still got a few seconds before the ride's over."

There was no escape from Neptune's grasp on this tiny boat. Nepgear knew that from the start, and though she thought she wouldn't mind that when Neptune spilled her guts to her, now she was having second thoughts about that. "W-w-wait a minute! You can do that at home whenever you want!" Nepgear, you fool!

"...Oh... Are you saying you'll let me play with you when we get home?" Poor, poor choice of words. Being on this boat was one thing, but now Nepgear had to watch her back at the basilicom too. That was practically a recipe for disaster, given that she and Neptune practically slept together. "What do you say we leave the carnival a little early to have some fun Jr.?"

"B-b-b-but there are still so many rides we haven't gone on! And Ms. Vert is still here! We can't just leave her behind all of a sudden!" She sputtered in an attempt to divert the situation a bit.

"Jr., you can delay the inevitable all you want, but we both know it's gonna happen eventually~" It was true. Nepgear knew that well enough, but she also knew that the longer she delayed it, the longer she'd have to mentally prepare for it. "For now I guess I'll just have to make do with this!"

Evidently, when Neptune said "this", she meant sneaking in a quick kiss on Nepgear's lips just before the boat entered into the light again. It left Nepgear blushing scarlet as the boat finally came to a halt, but it was only made even worse when Neptune decided to lean in closer to whisper a quick message into her ear.

"You can expect more where that came from." Just a few hours ago, Nepgear would have never imagined she'd be in the type of situation where she could do these types of things with Neptune, but now... Right now she felt like she could cry out of joy, with maybe a hint of embarrassment thrown in there for good measure. "Come on then. Let's go kill some time with Verty."

"R-right."

-~-~-~- ** _Purple Lovers_** -~-~-~-

Although Nepgear tried to contain her joy while she and Neptune made their way back to Vert, she was failing spectacularly. Every now and then she found herself hopping in between her strides, humming the tune of a few love songs she knew, and even sneaking more than a few glances Neptune's way. She had hopes that Neptune wouldn't notice, but she was being so obvious that it would be hard not to. More surprisingly, Neptune wasn't bringing any attention to it, although she was probably going to embarrass her sister later when they were alone.

"I wonder if Vert's still where we left her..." Neptune wondered out loud. She and Nepgear could only vaguely remember where they'd left her, since they had been so caught up in the moment that they'd kind of forgotten. Thankfully though, finding a tall, blonde CPU in a crowd of people was usually a very easy thing to do. "Found her." Just look for the crowds of people gathering around said CPU.

"She looks so calm." Nepgear noticed. "I wonder how often this happens to her." If Nepgear were to venture a guess, she'd say this type of event must have occured around 2-4 times a week for Vert. She was completely wrong, but it was a good guess either way.

"Yo, Verty!" Just like Moses parting the Red Sea, the moment Neptune raised a hand to greet the Leanbox CPU, the metaphorical ocean of people split, creating a path for the CPU and her sister. Nepgear could have sworn Neptune was glowing, but in her sister-loving eyes Neptune was _always_ glowing. "We're back!"

"I can see that." Vert replied politely, making her way to the purple CPU, nonchalantly signing a few autographs on the way. It was pretty impressive how she could do that without really looking where her hands were going. Granted, that did lead to her leaving her signature on some random fan's shirt, but they didn't seem to mind it all that much.

"I'm never washing this shirt again!" They _really_ didn't seem to mind.

"How was...whatever it is you two were off doing?" Vert asked inquisitively.

"Oh, it went great." And thus, Neptune returned to her earlier behavior of clinging to Nepgear's arm like it was one of her precious pudding spoons, although this time she looked more like high school girl clinging to their beloved's arm. Too bad it was Nepgear's job to look like a love stricken teenager, otherwise that would have looked much cuter. "It feels like a little imp just jumped off of my chest." Which was most likely a roundabout way of saying that a weight was lifted from her shoulders, if Vert had to guess.

"Imp on your... What?" It probably made perfect sense in Neptune's head, but the odd metaphor still left both Vert and Nepgear understandably confused.

"You know, like those little imps from old stories that sit on your chest when you're asleep."

"..."

"..."

"What?" Neptune, your random wells of knowledge are showing. "Don't tell me you guys didn't know that."

"Neptune, even I didn't know that." Vert chimed in.

"Well, you have to know these things when you're a CPU. What are you gonna do if you have to cross a bridge guarded by a troll dude that asks you questions about the air speed velocity of a laden swallow? If you don't want to fall from that bridge, then you gotta know this kind of stuff." What an oddly specific example.

"There's so much more to being a CPU than I thought." Ever the studious one, Nepgear was quick to take out a little notebook with which she took note of her sister's words. By this point, the group of people that had crowded around them had all dispersed, probably because they didn't understand what was going on right now. No one could blame them though.

"Worry not, my adorable little sister, your big sis will teach you everything you need to know in due time."

"I don't see how that sort of knowledge will ever be useful to anyone though." Vert said to no one in particular.

"You say something, Verty?"

"What? No, you must be hearing things." Of course the Leanbox CPU sounded soooo very convincing. Well, it was enough to fool Neptune and Nepgear at least; either that or they didn't care regardless.

"Okey dokey... You sure you don't want to go home, Jr.? You're looking a little tired."

"R-really, I'm fine!" Neptune really wasn't going to give up on that any time soon. "I'm sure I'll feel better once I've eaten, so-"

"Nepgear." Before Nepgear could finish that thought, Vert interrupted her. "I'm sure you don't want to drag Neptune back home when we haven't even been here for very long," Which probably would have been true on any other day. "But you should also consider your own health as well. If you really aren't feeling well, I believe you should go rest back at home. Oh, but if you'd like I have a spare bed available at my own basilicom. I am afraid it is only usable by family members though."

"But why would you keep a bed nobody uses?" Oh no.

"..." Vert froze up. She would have expected that from Neptune, but not from Nepgear. "I suppose you're right..." The green CPU had the most dejected look on her face at the moment. "In any case, I think you should go get some rest."

"You heard the lady! I'm taking you home, Jr.!" Neptune didn't even miss a beat when she took Nepgear's hand and started leading (dragging) her towards the exit, however she stopped for a second, casting a glance back at Vert. "What are you gonna do, Verty?"

"I think I will stay here for a little while longer." At least until she got over her little stupor that is.

"Okie dokie. Whatever floats your boat, Verty."

"Wait, I'm really okay! We don't have to go! I can still-" The candidate's pleas would quickly prove fruitless. As a matter of fact, Neptune took it as a cue to transform and take off into the sky, while carrying the younger sister in her arms like a delicate princess. "Uwwaaaahhh!" Granted, taking off with no warning almost made her wet herself, but that usually comes with the territory. "What the goodness! At least warn me when you're about to take off like that!"

"Oh, but if I did that, it'd give you a chance to get away, and we can't have that now can we?" The once playful and energetic voice of Neptune was now replaced with the mature, sultry voice of her alternate persona: Purple Heart. Her voice was sweet like honey and was like music to the ears, especially the ears of someone who was a total siscon like Nepgear. "Don't worry though, I'll take good care of you when we get home." Nepgear didn't doubt that. She also doubted that she'd be able to control herself if she let Neptune take control of the situation, which would be very easy to do if she stayed in her HDD form.

"..." Nepgear had been about to open her mouth to say something, but she figured that her sister would find some way to embarrass her over it so she promptly zipped her lips and opted to look away from the CPU defiantly. It was kind of hard to do, given the sheer proximity between the two, but the candidate would not give in so easily! I mean, she broke almost instantly when her sister pressed the younger girl's face into her bosom, but points for effort.

The older CPU simply giggled at the sight of her sister's attempt to be defiant. Of course, that also annoyed Nepgear a bit, further encouraging the girl to keep up her (rather poor) defense. It was made that much harder for her when Neptune decided to start blowing in Nepgear's ear and holding her even closer than before.

"Neptune, please... Ahhh..." The smile on Neptune's face turned into a wolfish grin upon seeing Nepgear trying to push her away. "Aaaahhhh..." There was no feasible way Neptune was going to stop just yet though. She was enjoying herself far too much to- "ACHOOO!" Sure, the mood was kind of ruined when Nepgear sneezed in her sister's face, but that just comes with the territory... Right?


	15. The First Step!

"I'm sorry! I'm really, really sorry! I'm so sorry!"

As soon as the purple sisters finally got back home to the Planeptune basilicom, the first thing Neptune did was wash her face. The first thing Nepgear did was grab a tissue, blow her nose, wash her hands, and then proceeded to fervently apologize to her older sister for sneezing in her face, though there came a point when Neptune felt that it was starting to get a little bit out of hand.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm-"

"I hear you, I hear you. I wonder if this is what a broken record must sound like. Oh, not that I'm trying to make fun of you or anything." Nepgear was actually kind of glad to hear that, since her throat was getting a little bit sore from repeating the same phrase over and over again. "By the way, are you feeling all right? Want me to get you a cough drop or anything?"

"N-no, I'm fine. It was just a bit chilly on the way back is all." The candidate assured her sister that she was fine, though after taking a bit of snot to the face, Nepgear could understand why Neptune would want to be sure. "Although if it's not too much trouble...could I get some milk tea?"

"Milk tea it is! Just sit back and relax Jr., I'll be back in a flash!" Aaaaaaaand she's gone. Nepgear let out a sigh of relief.

"Maybe now I can get my thoughts back in order before she gets back." Leaning back a bit, the candidate cast a glance up at the ceiling. "Goodness, today has been all over the place for me. This can't be good for my heart." The candidate said to herself in the empty room. She let out another sigh as she sat herself down on the couch in front of the TV, reflecting back on everything that had transpired today.

She had gone from daydreaming about her sister to wallowing in self pity, only to be sent reeling in shock with a sudden love confession all in the span of only a few hours. The afternoon wasn't even over yet and it already felt like so much had happened today. It almost felt like this was all just a dream and that it could end at any moment, but the pain Nepgear felt when she pinched her cheek just now served as proof that she was indeed wide awake.

It would be no exaggeration to say that today had been an emotional roller coaster for Nepgear. One moment, she was down in the dumps, then the next, she feels like dancing and singing about how happy she feels. Now though, with everything that had happened behind her, she felt… Well, she didn't actually know how she felt. She should probably feel happy; the person she was in love with had just told her she felt the same way about _her_ after all. Yet, despite this, there was this nagging voice in the back of Nepgear's head, telling her that this was too good to be true, that she should know better than to believe in Neptune, of all people, that-

"I'm back!" That Neptune was back with the tea and some snacks…

"N-Neptune!" Seeing her sister back in the room, Nepgear quickly stood up from her seat in surprise. More importantly, Nepgear was pretty sure she'd only left a minute ago, how did she finish making tea so quickly? Even Nepgear herself isn't that fast at making tea. "That was..faster than I expected."

"Ow, Nepgear… you wound me." Much to the purple sister's surprise, Neptune actually seemed a bit hurt by that remark for some reason. "I mean, I had to start over a few times, but I'd like to think I did a pretty good job." Start over a few times? Just how fast _was_ Neptune that she could go make tea, start over a few times, grab snacks and then come back in the span of only… 15 minutes?

...Oh… Now that Nepgear stopped to take a look at the clock, she realized that Neptune had been gone for over 15 minutes… Which might explain why she felt a bit offended by Nepgear's remark… Whoops.

"W-wait, I didn't mean it like that! What I mean is… Thank you for the tea." Deciding that she'd made more than enough of a fool of herself, Nepgear figured she should just shut up before she made things more awkward than they already were. Luckily, Neptune bounced back pretty quickly.

"Anything for you, my dearest Nepgear." Neptune's expression shifted back into a smile as she set Nepgear's tea down on the table in front of their couch before taking a seat. "Sit. We still have the rest of the day ahead of us and I don't want to miss a thing." The CPU pat the spot next to her, urging Nepgear to sit with her. She hesitated a bit, but Nepgear ultimately decided she may as well.

Looking on the bright side, Nepgear figured that maybe spending some time together with Neptune might help her come to terms with these mixed emotions. At least that's what she hoped.

"Huh… Now that I think about it..." Breaking the silence, Neptune looked around the room curiously. "Aren't Compa and Iffy usually here by now? I wonder what they're up to."

That was a good point, actually. IF and Compa usually did like to drop by almost every day by now. There had been several instances where Neptune and Nepgear had gone off to do quests, only to be greeted by the duo by the time they'd returned home. If they weren't here now, then what else could they be doing?

"I'm sure something important must have come up." Of course, even in that scenario, if one hadn't shown up by now, the other _would_. That was usually how it went most of the time, so it was a very rare occurrence to not see either of them around. "I'm sure it's only temporary and they'll be here tomorrow like always."

The truth of the situation though, was that the two were still dealing with the aftershock of that potion IF had drank earlier that day. However, Neptune and Nepgear would not find out about this until a few weeks later…

"I'll bet three- no, four puddings, that those two are doing something lovey dovey right about now." Which is why it was so astounding that Neptune had unwittingly hit the nail on the head. "Though, knowing Iffy, she's probably just overworking herself or something, and Compa's just there to make sure she doesn't kill herself."

"Lovey dovey..." Nepgear found herself muttering the words under her breath. Even though Neptune had just been joking around, Nepgear's mind had already started imagining what sort of relationship IF and Compa would have if they were a couple. She didn't fully understand _why_ she was thinking about her friends' relationship when she had just now entered one of her own(?), but… Maybe it was just her heart's way of trying to tell her something. She just...couldn't understand what it was.

What did she even have to think about, anyway? She loved Neptune with all of her heart and-

 _But does your sister feel the same way?_

And… And... No, there's no way Neptune was just lying-

 _How can you be so sure?_

She… Because she... She said so! She loved Nepgear and-

 _Has there ever been a time where it felt like she didn't?_

...She… She... She... She _did_ mean it... didn't she...? She _did_ love Nepgear... Right?

"Neptune." Nepgear found herself saying her sister's name again without even thinking. Said CPU turned her head and gave the purple sister a curious look, unaware of the mixed emotions swirling around inside the girl at this very moment.

"That's my name. Something on your mind?"

"I… Did you really mean it...when you said you loved me?"

"Huh? I said so, didn't I?"

"I know. You did, but..."

"But?" In that moment, everything Nepgear was holding in burst out like a broken dam.

"It just... It just feels like you're doing all of this just to get on my good side, so I'll stay your obedient little sister. I want to believe in you, but deep down, there's a part of my heart telling me that I'm just going to get hurt if I keep going along with you." And just like that, Neptune had shut up. Her smile was gone and her eyes widened in surprise, like a deer caught in the headlights. Suddenly, Nepgear was starting to wish she hadn't said anything, but it was far too late to take it back. "When I think about IF and Compa, I can say without a doubt that the two of them care about each other without any hesitation. But right now… I don't know that I'd be able to say the same about you and me."

"..." Neptune fell silent for what felt like hours, though in reality it had only been half a minute. While that concerned Nepgear, deep down, it also annoyed her. Neptune had been so bold before in coming out about how she felt, so why wasn't she even trying to defend herself _now_? "You know, Nepgear, I know it sounds rude, but I think all the other CPUs before me were kind of boring."

"..." Well...that was certainly unexpected, but Nepgear stayed quiet.

"From what Histy told me they were always so focused on protecting Planeptune above all else. And before you were born, I was basically the same way." In a very unexpected twist, Neptune's expression settled into a more neutral look. This came with the unfortunate drawback of making it nigh impossible to tell what she was thinking at the time. "Things were so boring around here before you came around."

"..."

"But, then I went and messed things up between us, didn't I...?"

"That's..."

"It's true..." Neptune interrupted. "I never did like work, so I was happy whenever you did it for me. I guess I started taking _everything_ you've done for me for granted."

"..."

"I guess it's probably a bit rude of me to ask, but are you sure you want to be with me, Nepgear?" Neptune asked in a hesitant tone. In a rare moment, the once joyful and brave CPU looked genuinely scared, vulnerable even. It was a very rare occurrence that only Nepgear would ever get to see. "I know I've been a terrible sister to you, but that doesn't mean I can't try to be a good girlfriend. I promise I won't treat you bad anymore, so..." Neptune was forced to take a pause, as her voice began to bleed with desperation. She took a deep breath to calm her nerves before resuming in a much softer voice. "I promise. S-so if I ever forget, you can..."

"We'll figure that out if it ever happens."

"..." Neptune smiled softly. "I'll take whatever you've got to give, as long as you stay with me."

"As if I could ever leave you after hearing all of that."

In that moment, Neptune became so overcome with joy that she tackled Nepgear, nuzzling the girl like a small animal with the biggest, dopiest smile on her face.

Without even realizing it, Nepgear had slowly come to doubt her sister's intentions, but having gotten to see a side of her that no one else would ever get to see, those doubts were laid to rest then and there. By now she was hugging her sister as tight as possible with no real intentions of ever letting go…

"Neptune? Nepgear? Is something wrong?" At least until Histoire floated into the room. "I thought I heard screaming, is everything… all...right?" It shouldn't take more than one guess to figure out how she reacted upon seeing Neptune pinning her little sister down on the couch. "Wh-wh-what are you two-"

"Wait a minute, Histy! Before you say anything, you need to know..." Luckily, before the misunderstanding could sink in, Neptune chimed in to- "It's _exactly_ what it looks like." Make the situation even worse.

"Wha-wha-wha-wha-wha-"

"Neptune!"


	16. The Second Step!

"Histy? Histy! ...HISTY!" For the better part of an hour, Neptune had been busy calling the oracle's name. Thanks to those magical words Neptune had spoken, the fairy formerly known as Histoire suffered a shut-down. She stood – well, more like floated – in place like a statue with dead fish eyes.

"Oh my goodness." Meanwhile, Nepgear was off to the side covering her now red face in embarrassment. "Why did you have to say that Neptune?! Oh goodness, I hope she doesn't stay like this for too long."

"Come on. Look at the bright side," Neptune interjected. "Since she's all frozen and stuff, we can take pictures of her in silly outfits." Nepgear deadpanned.

"Neptune, please..." The candidate sighed in the face of her sister's tomfoolery. "Histoire is going to flip when she finally comes to." One could only hope that she didn't lose her head over the new development between Neptune and Nepgear.

"You worry too much, Nepgear."

"I think you don't worry _enough_ , Neptune." The candidate grabbed the hem of her skirt as her expression shifted to a more timid one. "I got so caught up in the moment that I didn't even bother to think about what Histoire would say! She's going to blow her top, I just know it!"

"Come on, Nepgear. Lighten up a little," The CPU suggested. "I mean, yeah, it'd kind of suck if she has a problem with us being a thing, but I don't think she'd outright try to break us up or anything."

What Neptune was saying made sense, but all the same…

"We're still sisters! There's no way she'd ever accept it!"

"Nepgear."

"And what about out people? There are so many that wanted to see you end up with Noire!"

"Nepgear!"

"What are we going to do? This is terrible! We need to-"

"NEPGEAR!" It wasn't until Neptune decided to stop Nepgear by slapping her on the cheeks and pulling her face closer that the candidate was finally silenced. "You really need to calm down. We're not gonna get anywhere if you don't." Even saying that, Nepgear couldn't completely agree with her sister.

"B-but, sis-"

"No buts!" Neptune demanded. "More importantly, why'd you stop calling me by name? Isn't that what people do when they start dating?" Neptune pondered this matter to herself, still holding Nepgear's face while she did so. "Yeah! Since we're together now it makes more sense that we call each other by name or give each other cute nicknames!"

"Uh, s… Neptune..."

"What's up, Nepgear?"

"Could you please let go of me face?"

"Huh?" Now that Nepgear mentioned it, Neptune finally came to the realization that she was still holding the candidate's face. "Oh, right! Sorry about that." With that, the CPU finally let go, taking an embarrassed step back. "What were we talking about again?"

Nepgear deadpanned. "About how the people might not be okay with this?" The candidate tiredly reminded, prompting a light bulb to pop up over Neptune's head.

"Oh, right! So, like I was saying before," Neptune resumed from where she'd left off. "There's no need to worry about what others might think." That comment almost made Nepgear want to bonk Neptune over the head. They were dating now so she could get away with that, couldn't she? "Sure, not everyone's gonna like it, but by the end of the day _I'm_ still the CPU here. I decide who I want to be with and ain't nobody gonna tell me otherwise!"

All of a sudden, Nepgear found herself staring at her sister with eyes full of admiration. "Neptune..." It wasn't all that rare for Neptune to be so stubborn about something, but to see her doing so when regarding being with Nepgear? It was almost like a dream come true.

"And besides, what kind of ship name do you give Neptune and Noire? Nepure? Notune? Pfft!" Aaaaaand it's gone. "Besides, if it's the two of us I'm sure we can come up with something waaay better. We'll call it NepGear… Wait a minute… Uh, then maybe NepTune… Darn it! That doesn't work either!"

Nepgear chuckled at her sister's musings. "You worry about the strangest things sometimes, sis." Not that Nepgear thought that was a bad thing. It was actually kind of charming, in a way.

"What can I say? I think with my heart more than my head. And right now it's telling me that we should dress Histy in the silliest outfit we can find and take as many pictures as physically possible before she comes to!" Neptune didn't even wait for Nepgear to reply. The older CPU was already out the door in seconds flat.

"Neptune..." Though Nepgear may whine, she still followed her sister anyway. "Well… I guess this is fine for now." A smile crept onto her face. The more she thought about being together with Neptune, the wider it became. She soon picked up her pace to catch up to the ever energetic Goddess she was so head-over-heels for. "Wait for me, Neptune."

 **-~-~-~- _Purple Lovers_ -~-~-~-**

"...Where…?" A soft voice spoke from the entrance of the living room of the basilicom. The fairy looked around in a daze, no doubt trying to figure out where she was and what had happened. When she looked down at herself however, she noticed that she was wearing a strange light blue and yellow jacket and matching shoes. More importantly, someone had taken her book and replaced it with a mossy green pillow. "...What in the world happened when I blacked out?"

As if on cue, a familiar head – or rather, head **s** – walked into the room.

"Oh hey, Histy's finally awake!" The CPU formerly known as Neptune stated.

"Really? Oh thank goodness you're finally awake Histy! You were out for at least three hours." Of course it was three.

And while Histoire seemed glad to see Neptune and Nepgear, she still had to wonder… "What in the world are you two wearing?"

For some strange reason, Neptune was dressed like a barkeeper. She wore a simple white dress shirt with a red tie and a black vest with a single coat tail with matching black dress boots. On top of that, she had sword strapped to her back, with the handle designed to look like a dragon, with a red jewel for an eye.

Nepgear's ensemble, on the other hand, was a bit more… A lot more...revealing. The candidate wore a tight, pink, sleeveless shirt that exposed her midriff, a very short black skirt held up by a simple brown belt and a black stocking on her left leg and a white slipper, with a black slipper on her right foot.

"Oh, w-well, you see, this was all Neptune's idea, so..." Nepgear started nervously.

The oracle sighed. "I am aware that you love your sister Nepgear, but you mustn't let yourself fall into her pace so easily." A light shade of pink tinted Nepgear's cheeks due to the oracle's statement. Histoire just assumed it was just out of embarrassment. And she was right… It just wasn't wasn't the kind of embarrassment Histoire thought.

"Y-you knew?" Nepgear asked hesitantly, her voice a bit shaky.

"Of course I knew. Everyone in Planeptune knows." Was Histoire's answer. "At any rate, do either of you know what happened before I blanked out? I can't seem to remember." Off to the side, Neptune chuckled to herself as Nepgear's eyes widened in confusion. "What is so funny Neptune? What happened?"

"W-well, you see, we were just-"

"We decided to start going out, is all," Neptune unabashedly answered in Nepgear's place.

"...Excuse me…?" Almost mirroring prior events, Histoire went wide-eyed, standing – or rather, floating – as stiffly as a statue. "Wh-what are you… W-wait a minute… I remember!" Nepgear's face practically exploded into a crimson red. The candidate covered her face with her hands to escape from Histoire's judgemental eyes. "Y-you two were… Were… Neptune?!"

 _It's_ exactly _what it looks like._

"Why were you two doing _that_?!"

"What are you talking about, Histy?" Neptune casually asked, shifting her hands into her pockets.

"You said-"

"You mean it didn't look like I was trying to shower my sister with unconditional love and affection to you?" Neptune responded teasingly, grinning wolfishly at the sight of Histoire fish-eyed, burning, red face. "I always knew there was more to you than the all-business persona you showed us all the time. You pervert, you."

Somehow defying physics and nature, Histoire's face became an even deeper shade of red than before at the implications. It was then that the purple CPU burst into laughter, falling to the floor holding her sides at the sight of the tomato-headed fairy. "You know what I meant!"

"Neptune, please!" Nepgear begged her sister to stop. Even so, it took a few minutes before her laughter calmed down, leaving the CPU to try and stand up while holding her sides.

"Heheh. You should've seen the look on your face, Histy. I really wish I had a camera on me," The CPU lamented.

"Please stop joking around and tell me what _really_ happened!" The oracle demanded. Her choice of words seemed to instantly force Neptune to sober up, while Nepgear looked away from the fairy for reasons she did not understand. "Wh-what is it? Tell me!"

"I wasn't lying when I said Nepgear and I are going out, Histy," The CPU answered in a tone most serious that was almost unbefitting of what Histoire knew of the CPU.

Histoire blinked. She rubbed her eyes with her fists.

The oracle blinked again. She snapped her fingers next to her ear.

The fairy blinked a third time. Her mouth flapped open and closed like a fish.

"Y-You two are..." Even though Histoire didn't finish, Neptune nodded her head in confirmation. Hesitantly, Nepgear also did the same. "W-wait, h-how did this...happen?" The fairy asked in disbelief.

"I… Y-you see..." Nepgear tried to speak, though the words had trouble coming out of her mouth. It wasn't until Neptune held the taller girl's hand and gave her a smile that she found the confidence to say what needed to be said. "I… I've always loved Neptune. And just earlier today, she… She said she loves me, too. So… Surprise?!"

"So you two really intend to..."

"Yes."

"I see..."

"Is… Is that okay with you, Histoire?" Nepgear asked hesitantly, he body curling back instinctively as she awaited an answer. Neptune wore a much calmer expression, but the slight shaking of her lips and hand betrayed her true feelings. Even so, Neptune didn't let go of Nepgear's hand for even a second.

Histoire remained silent, as if mulling everything over in her head, her expression completely unreadable.

"..." A moment of silence passed. Histoire rubbed the back of her head awkwardly. "Do you truly intend to follow through with this?"

"Of course we do!" Neptune didn't even hesitate to answer with a cheeky smile. Both the fairy and the candidate were left to stare at her; one smiling joyfully, and the other staring blankly.

"...I suppose I cannot stop you, then."

"...What...did you say?" Nepgear blinked, her look as disbelieving as Neptune's.

"I said that you two are free to do as you please." Nepgear blinked again, several times for that matter. "I am in no place to interfere if the both of you truly mean it. Therefore, I must ask again, do you truly intend to follow through with this?"

"...Y-Yes!" Although taken aback for a second, Nepgear found her voice quickly, a fiery determination shining in her eyes.

"This may very well change the way the other nations think of us."

"That doesn't matter!"

"Yeah! What Nepgear said!"

"You understand that not everyone will be happy about this decision, don't you?"

"Of course!"

"NepuNowa was getting old anyway!"

"Then I suppose that is all there is to it." The makings of a smile appeared on the fairy's lips. Yet her smile could not compare to the one on Nepgear's face, and especially not the one Neptune had found. "I must admit, I never expected this to happen, although I suppose the signs have always been there."

"Histoire… Thank you!" Nepgear wasted no time thanking the oracle, even going so far as to bow her head to the fairy!

"Histy!" On the other hand, Neptune's first instinct was to tackle Histoire in a great bear hug! ...Shouldn't take more than one guess to figure out how well that went down.

"Guh!"

"Neptune! Oh my goodness! She's turning blue!"

"Huh? Oh, whoopsie... Guess I got a little carried away there. You all right Histy?"

"Guh… Fuh..."

"I'll take that as a yes!" Neptune said, pumping her fist before turning back to Nepgear. "Now… Where were we?" She asked with a wink of her eye.

"Um… I don't think we should-"

"Nonsense!" Neptune interrupted. "Nepgear, your tears are my fears that almost disappear, so let's share the perfect time. For you and me." The CPU then proceeded to recite the lyrics to one of her favorite songs, as romantically as possible, of course. "Let's see what the future holds… There's no time. You can't ignore how you feel inside. I can't wait to see them with all my heart."

"...G-goodness..." In that moment, Nepgear's heart skipped a beat. Before she even knew it, her head leaned in ever closer to Neptune's own. What happened from there however, stays between them and them alone. "Talking to me like that… You're such a cheater, Neptune."

"I consider myself more of a thief."

"Why's that?"

"I stole your heart, didn't I?"

"...Yeah… I guess you did."


	17. Night Falls!

At present, Nepgear and Neptune found themselves sitting on the couch in front of the TV. Nepgear wasn't all that interested in what was happening on screen, but Neptune seemed to be very engrossed in the show currently on at the moment.

Nepgear couldn't help but smile to herself at the sight. Even with Neptune's attention on the screen, she had an arm looped around the candidate's own arm the entire time. She practically snuggled into Nepgear's shoulder like an affectionate kitten. It was just so adorable that Nepgear couldn't help but snap a picture of Neptune's adorable expression with her trusty N-Gear. Of course, the sudden snapping sound was enough to drag Neptune's attention away from the TV screen, as one would expect.

"Oh! I'm sorry, sis… Er… Neptune. You just looked so cute that I couldn't help myself."

"Aw, no worries. You can take as many pictures as you want." Thankfully, Neptune didn't seem to mind the picture, waving her hand nonchalantly and reassuring Nepgear it was okay… Before winking at the candidate and exposing her bare shoulder provocatively to the younger girl. "Take as many pictures of me as you want, Nepgear~"

"W-wha-wha-wha..." And just like that, Nepgear's face turned full red. "That's not- That's not- It's not like that!" The flustered candidate desperately tried to defend herself by waving her hands in front of her, but that only served to get a laugh out of Neptune. "Neptune!"

"Sorry Nepgear! Hahah! I just couldn't help myself!" The purplette said in between her chuckling fit. "Your reactions are just way too adorable to resist! It feels like they're even better now that we're… You know..." And now Neptune's cheeks flushed with a light pink tint. She didn't need to finish that sentence for Nepgear to know what she had been about to say.

"Geez. You're so mean sometimes, Neptune," Nepgear pouted.

"You know I only do it out of love, my darling," Neptune grinned at her sister's pouty face. "Oh come on, Nepgear. If you keep pouting like that it's only gonna make me want to tease you even more!" Neptune made sure to playfully pinch the candidate's cheek to accentuate her point.

Nepgear replied in kind by swatting Neptune's hand away and looking away from her defiantly.

"Come on, Nepgear, don't be so huffy," Neptune playfully spoke. "I just can't help myself when I have such an adorable new girlfriend." As anyone would have predicted, the use of the word "girlfriend" from Neptune brought a blush to Nepgear's face. She was probably never going to get used to hearing that from Neptune.

The candidate soon found herself twiddling her fingers while Neptune grinned jovially to herself. She didn't know what to say in this kind of situation. Then again, she hardly ever knew what to say when Neptune was involved to begin with. The purple CPU had a talent for throwing people off their game and leading others into falling to her own pace.

If not for the sounds coming from the TV, Neptune would have likely kept pushing Nepgear further and further, but thankfully, a voice from the screen caught the CPU's attention.

"And so, next time, to commemorate the inception of Cat Theatre, we will be celebrating with a special event. Join us two weeks from now for the epic battle of Super Feline Blue vs Super Feline Rosé. That Neko Black sure is a terrifying opponent. Don't miss it!"

"No way!" Neptune stared in awe at the screen as the message ended. She had sparkles in her eyes as a short preview clip played of a pink cat tussling with a blue cat of the same breed. Even Nepgear had to admit that it looked really cool, so intense, and above all else, extremely adorable. "Nepgear! We need to go see that when it comes out! I'll even treat you to dinner or something, I promise!"

Nepgear recoiled from the shorter CPU's almost pleading voice. "Uh… Sure, I guess." Neptune stared at the Candidate with a big puppy-dog smile.

"Really?"

"S-sure. I don't mind. I really liked that one from earlier, so- Uwah!" Before Nepgear could finish that thought, Neptune tackled the candidate with a surprise bear hug. "N-Neptune! Y-you're squeezing me! P-please stop..."

"Oh, whoopsie daisy!" Finally Neptune backed off at her sister's behest. "Sorry about that."

"N-no, it's fine. You just surprised me a little," Nepgear reassured.

"Heheheh. Then it's a date, Nepgear dearest. I'm really looking forward to it."

The only response Nepgear could muster to her sister's enthusiasm was to look away with a light blush and scratch her cheek with her finger. "M-me too..." The candidate smiled to herself. Neptune meanwhile settled for tenderly cuddling with her younger sister, until a single yawn escaped her lips.

"What time is it?" Neptune asked lazily.

"I think it's almost nighttime." Nepgear noted that she was also starting to feel tired as well.

"I think I'm gonna go hit the hay a little early. You're welcome to join me if you want, Nepgear~" The CPU stretched her arms as she stood up from the couch.

"S-sure, I guess."

 **-~-~-~- _Purple Lovers_ -~-~-~-**

Back at the carnival, a certain busty CPU sat on the edge of her seat, holding back a squeal as she watched a silver and gold cat staring each other down while a large, pink pig and a giant brown cat watched the scene unfold. The scene had started off serious with the pair of cats staring each other down, not unlike an old western movie, but eventually the staring contest made way for one of the most adorable things Vert had ever seen in her life.

" **Nyan!** "  
" **Cat'n!** "

In a sudden twist, the two cats charged forward, engaging in a childish game of patty-cake which made everyone in the audience squeal, including Vert. Things got even more crazy when the silver cat smacked the smaller, gold cat through several "stone" walls, kicking up debris in the form of shredded cardboard.

" **Come on, Cat'n!** " The silver jumped up and down giddily like a school kid who'd just gotten their favorite snack for lunch. The shorter, gold cat responded in kind by launching forward and headbutting the taller cat, sending it flying across the set. Both cats chuckled all the while at the mayhem they were casually causing.

Vert all the while felt herself fangirling at such a sight. "It's like a scene from one of my visual novels. Although, I suppose there's not been anything quite this over-the-top in any I've read so far." Even still, Vert had to admit, the relationship between the two cats was absolutely adorable and – dare she say it… Bromantic.

The sounds of cameras snapping pictures could be heard all over the place as the scene was nearing its climax. The two contrasting cats came together and slapped their paws together, falling to the floor on their bellies for an intense arm – or rather, paw-wrestling match.

" **Ready?** "  
" **GO!** "

Chaos ensued as the duo of cats clashed in an epic duel of paw power. If Vert had regretted not bringing her phone with her before, now she was completely sorrowful that she wouldn't be able to record this scene herself. Sure she'd probably be able to find a video of it online somewhere after the show was over, but there was a certain appeal to being the one to record these special events. It was a feeling everyone else in the audience would get to enjoy, except for Vert.

" **Our record was 361 wins out of 720 in my favor, right?** "

" **Are you dreaming? I'm the one with 361 wins!** "

The set began to wiggle and shake as the cats continued their adorable match of strength. More shredded pieces of cardboard flew about as childish giggles came from the two cats, along with many of the people in the audience.

" **Cattain's serious face is cute, too.** " Vert couldn't agree with the giant brown cat's sentiment any more if she tried.

Sadly, the scene was drawing to a close. The "prison complex" collapsed under the gold and silver cats' combined might as several other cats watched on from the outside in awe.

" **So this is how powerful the Seven Deadly Cats are?** "

" **I'm...retreating… temporarily.** "

" **Wa… Wait!** "

As expected all the side cats ran away as the scene had come to a close. There was not a single person in the audience who hadn't enjoyed the show, as evident from all the cheers that erupted from the crowd of cat and anime lovers alike. Vert herself also felt a great deal of amusement from watching such a delightful showing.

"Who would have thought that cats could make such compelling actors," Vert mused to herself. "I cannot wait until the next showing. Perhaps I can even bring Chika with me, although something tells me she'd be more interested in me than the actual play." The busty CPU sighed at the thought. "I swear, sometimes she is far too clingy for her own good."

It was around then that Vert stood from her seat, dusting herself off slightly before making her way to the exit doors. Once out however, the thoughts of cats reenacting famous and iconic moments from anime was pushed to the back of her mind in favor of other matters.

"Now then… What should my next move be, I wonder," The CPU said to no one in particular. "Nepgear does like her gadgets, so I suppose I should use that to my advantage when next I see her." Vert mulled the idea over, along with many other possibilities. Even though she would still have to find a way to deal with Neptune, she felt a triumphant smirk forming. That probably wouldn't be too hard.

Vert knew just about everything Nepgear liked, and she could easily provide her with all of them easily enough. It was hard not to feel a little cocky when she had such a clear advantage.

"Even still..." A frown replaced the blonde CPU's smirk for a split second. "Neptune and I have been friends for such a long time..." The Leanbox CPU directed her gaze up at the moon in the sky, trying to envision the various possible scenarios in her head. She was confident she would come out on top every time, but she also knew that her relationship with Neptune was also going to change because of it.

The CPU sighed to herself, trying to push those thoughts to the back of her mind.

"I suppose I will just have to wait and see what happens from there. No use worrying about it now..." With that said, Vert's normally blue eyes turned purple in the blink of an eye and she was enveloped in a bright light as she took to the sky in her HDD form. "I believe I've stuck around long enough. I wouldn't want to worry Chika, nor would I like to overstay my welcome."

The rest of the CPU's voyage back home was spent in relative silence.

 **-~-~-~- _Purple Lovers_ -~-~-~-**

"Ugh..." How had things gotten to this? "What the goodness!"

Nepgear was trying to be as quiet as possible. She had gone to her room and gotten ready for bed like she always did. What she hadn't expected was for Neptune to follow her into her bed and start cuddling against her! Nepgear didn't even notice Neptune crawl into the mattress until she felt the CPU's arms wrap around her stomach.

Sure, Nepgear loved Neptune and all, but her heart just wasn't ready for this. She tried to wiggle her way out of the purple Goddess's grip, but that only seemed to disturb the purplette's rest, causing the CPU to hold Nepgear closer. At this point the two were so close that Nepgear could almost smell Neptune's hair from behind her.

The room was so quiet that Nepgear could hear her heart beating in her chest. It thumped in time with Neptune's gentle breathing, making it all the harder for the candidate to fall asleep. She was left lying in bed with Neptune embracing her from behind, the CPU's breath tickling the back of her neck.

There were a number of thoughts racing through Nepgear's mind, but none were nearly as poignant as the sound of her own heartbeat. Nepgear wanted to get some space, but she also didn't want to give up the soothing smell of lavender wafting from Neptune's person. She wanted to go to sleep, but she didn't want Neptune to let go, but she knew she wouldn't get any sleep if she kept holding on. This left the Candidate in a very peculiar predicament.

Nepgear's thoughts were soon interrupted by a yawn coming from Neptune's mouth. It sounded much louder, given the close proximity of the two sisters, but in a strange sort of way, it did help Nepgear find something to focus on.

Shifting around in bed, Nepgear turned to face Neptune while still in the CPU's hold. For what felt like hours, Nepgear just stared at the sleeping CPU's face, losing track of time as she did so. She noted how silly Neptune looked while she slept. There was a little bit of drool coming from the corners of her mouth and the dopey smile on her face even made Nepgear giggle. And yet, despite how silly and ridiculous she may have looked to the rest of the world, to Nepgear, Neptune looked like an angel.

Although Nepgear was uncertain of what her newfound relationship with Neptune would bring with it in the future, she also knew that she didn't want to give up moments like these just because some people might not be okay with their bond. She wanted to be able to see Neptune like this again. She wanted to be this close to Neptune every night. She wanted to be happy with Neptune every day. Maybe it was selfish of her to want so much out of their relationship, but Neptune had told her that it's okay to be selfish every now and then.

Nepgear had longed to be this close to Neptune for so long and now that she was finally living her dream she had resolved to never let go of her for as long as she lived. Neptune had made her the happiest girl in the world, so now Nepgear wanted to return the favor to the sister… To the woman she loved so much.

"I love you… Nepgear..." The candidate's heart skipped a beat.

Hearing those magic words from Neptune never failed to make her feel weak in the knees, even if Neptune was only saying it in sleepy daze. She wanted to make Neptune feel this same way, too.

"I love you too, Neptune." Nepgear knew Neptune probably couldn't hear her while she was sleeping, but she still wanted to say it anyway. She soon found herself returning the CPU's embrace, wrapping her arms around Neptune's small frame. It was kind of ironic how the person Nepgear looked up to the most happened to be shorter than her. Even so, Nepgear knew Neptune had a much bigger and stronger spirit than any other CPU before her.

In that moment, Nepgear felt so calm, so happy. She smiled to herself and leaned her forehead up against Neptune's own as her eyes grew heavy. She blinked several times to try and stave off the feeling a little longer – so she could stare at Neptune a little longer. But eventually, the call from the land of dreams became far too difficult to ignore and the CPU candidate drifted off to sleep in her sister's warm embrace.

The sounds of light breathing became the only source of sound in the room. From a small, unnoticeable crack in the door, Histoire smiled to herself, quietly closing the door.

"I guess you two are really serious about this," She said to no one in particular. "Get some rest you two. You may very well need it. Though, knowing you two, you're both far too stubborn to give in just because others may not agree with your decision."

And so, the night falls on the Planeptune basilicom.


	18. It's French!

When morning finally came, Neptune hastily grabbed the blankets around her body and pulled them over her eyes to block out the light filtering into her room. She would have loved to stay under the blankets, but in due time the CPU was shaken out of her sleepy stupor by a pair of hands nudging her back, coupled with an angelic voice calling her name.

"Neptune, it's morning," The angel formerly known as Nepgear said softly. "It's time for breakfast and Histoire is already waiting for us." After hearing the magic word, Neptune slowly started sat up in her bed and let out a loud yawn.

"What are we having?" Neptune asked groggily, trying to blink the sleep out of her eyes.

"I made us pancakes," Nepgear replied with a smile.

"Oh, how I love the smell of 372,844 pancakes in the morning. It smells like Victory."

"…" Nepgear blinked. "B-but I only made a few stacks… Am I missing something?"

"References, Nepgear. References." Was Neptune's totally not cryptic and ambiguous response. "But that's enough about that. Lead me to these pancakes you speak of."

"Right," Nepgear said with a wry smile. As the younger Nep made her way out of the room, the elder Nep wasted no time jumping out of bed and following after the taller girl. The walk through the hallways and to the kitchen had been mostly silent, but on the way, Nepgear noted that Neptune was smiling brighter than usual. It could have just been her imagination, but she'd like to think she knew Neptune well enough to notice such a change.

As Nepgear silently pondered these things to herself, Neptune took the taller girl's hand, breaking the candidate away from her thoughts. While she was initially taken aback by the move, Nepgear returned the sentiment and the two's fingers intertwined, neither wanting to let go. The rest of their walk was left in silence until they made it to the dining room after only a few short moments of walking.

"Ah! Good morning, Neptune, Nepgear." Upon arrival, the sisters purple were greeted by a semi-groggy Histoire. She was sat upon her book, on top of the dinner table, with a plate of miniature treats on a miniature plate. Oh, and can't forget the miniature glass of milk in front of her. The other two plates were normal sized, albeit one had almost triple the pancakes as the other plates. "I trust you both slept well last night?"

"Mornin' Histy! I slept like a log!"

"Good morning, Histoire. I think we both had a good night's sleep."

As both sisters gave their greetings, Histoire smiled to herself. "I see. I was almost half-expecting that you would have had some trouble going to sleep, given everything that happened between you two yesterday."

"W-well, I did have some trouble falling asleep at first," Nepgear admitted. "But having Neptune with me always calms me down, so it wasn't too bad."

"That is good to hear," Histoire nodded to herself. "The two of you have quite a day ahead of you, after all." The peculiar word choice from the oracle was received with a quizzical head tilt from both the CPU and Candidate. "Be sure to eat your fill because I will be having the two of you complete a number of quests for today."

"Pouvez-vous répéter ça?" Neptune asked in a language Nepgear did not recognize with a slight frown on her face.

"I said, vous deux travaillez aujourd'hui." Histoire responded in that same language, earning a pout from the purple CPU.

"Uh..." Meanwhile, Nepgear's eyes bounced back and forth between her sister and her oracle, as if that would somehow help enlighten her on what either had just said. "A-am I missing something?" She finally asked after a few seconds of silence.

"It is nothing, Nepgear," Histoire assured. "This is just something Neptune and I do every now and then. It is understandable that you would be lost. Though, if you are willing to learn, then perhaps one day I shall teach you the ancient language of the Goddesses."

"Although in the real world it's called French," Neptune interjected; the sound of a wall shattering could be heard in the background. "Ah, it feels so good to break the fourth wall again."

"Neptune..." Histoire groaned. It looked as though she was about to say something, but Nepgear jumped in before she could.

"Goodness, Neptune… It's been a while since the last time you broke the fourth wall like that." To which Histoire promptly faceplanted on the dinner table, having clearly not expected that. "For a while I was beginning to think you might not do that again for the rest of this story."

"Perish the thought!" Neptune declared. "The breaking of the fourth wall is like an art form in and of itself. In my years of being the main character I've learned that sometimes you need to pick and choose just when to do it to maximize the pay-off of the joke. If ya do it too often, it starts to lose its magic, and that's no good."

"Goodness, I never knew there were such intricacies to fourth-wall breaking." Surprisingly, Nepgear was actually taking Neptune's words very seriously. Histoire, on the other hand, could only find herself deadpanning at the sight. "Oh, goodness, we should probably eat before it gets cold."

"Good idea, Nepgear! We'll worry about work after I get all this in my belly!" Taking Nepgear's suggestion, Neptune practically teleported to her seat (by putting two fingers to her forehead, of course), where she took a fork in hand and started shoveling hotcakes into her mouth like a madwoman. She ate with much more vigor than normal, Nepgear noted. Kind of like a certain race of battle-crazy alien monkey people.

"Ugh..." Histoire groaned, bringing a hand to her forehead. "Well, if anything, I am least glad that the two of you are so full of energy today." Relenting, the oracle decided to follow Neptune's lead and started eating her own food, as did Nepgear. "I've already picked out a few quests, so I expect you two to get to work after you are done eating," The oracle said in between bites.

"Of course," Nepgear complied energetically.

"Sure thing, Histy..." Neptune responded in a more pessimistic tone of voice. Her expression quickly shifted however, into a more curious one. "By the way, where are Iffy and Compa? They're usually here with us for breakfast and dinner. Come to think of it, they weren't here yesterday either."

"They actually called me while you two were off at the carnival," Histoire answered. "I do not know most of the details, but it sounds as though something happened yesterday and now they are trying to sort things out. It is nothing major, so I'm sure they'll have everything figured out soon. Though I am rather curious what happened."

"Well when you say it like that, it makes me curious, too," Nepgear agreed.

"If you want we can go see 'em after we're done questing," Neptune suggested to the candidate. Nepgear smiled at the idea, nodding in approval.

"That sounds nice."

From then on, Nepgear's focus went to eating her food alongside her sister and Histoire. However, throughout their meal, the candidate's eyes would occasionally gravitate towards Neptune. There were a number of things on her mind, but there was one in particular that had her full attention. Right now though, Nepgear had no intentions of saying anything for the time being as the group enjoyed their peaceful, quiet breakfast.

"Mmmm~ So good~"

Well, as quiet as breakfast with Neptune can be, at least.

 **-~-~-~- _Purple Lovers_ -~-~-~-**

"Looks like this is the place." Stepping on top of a flat rock, Neptune brought up a hand to her eyes to survey the location. A massive watery expanse with large hills and many rocks and boulders acting as footholds along with some patches of land around. In the center of it all was a series of waterfalls surrounded by several large, jagged rocks and hills. The various monsters were mostly made up of reptilian and amphibious beasts, but they were but a footnote in the presence of such a vast and beautiful environment.

"So this is the Unreal Falls," Nepgear spoke with wonderment, awed by the view of the land. "I've never been here before. It's so beautiful."

"It's been a while since I've been here," Neptune reminisced. "Everything's a lot greener than I remember, and I'm pretty sure the tree up on that hill wasn't there back then either. Looks like there are a lot less monsters hanging around, too."

"You've been here before, sis?"

"Yepperoni," Neptune replied. "It's kind of wild to see how much everything's changed since then. Makes me feel kind of old, though." A wry smile crossed the CPUs lips as she looked back to Nepgear. "Welp, I guess the sooner we finish here, the sooner we can go back home, so let's get it done!"

"Yeah!" Nepgear smiled enthusiastically, following behind her sister. It didn't take long before the various monsters hanging about took notice of the two purple sisters; it took even less for Neptune to draw a katana from her inventory. Nepgear followed shortly after with a beam saber in hand and the two charged forward.

A lizardman flew towards them with axe held high. As Neptune got close however, she faded back, surprising the enemy and giving Nepgear a chance to slash the enemy. In response, the lizardman flew over Nepgear's blade, but in doing so it was quickly cut apart by Neptune's katana in a matter of seconds before disappearing into an explosion of data.

"Nice work, Nepgear!" Neptune cheered. "If we just keep this up we'll be done in no time!"

"Right!" Nepgear smiled, taking the lead. One after another, the various monsters attacked the sisters purple, and one by one they all fell down.

A second lizardman tried to charge forward with its axe as a shield, so Neptune smacked it upwards as hard as she could, letting Nepgear finish it with a series of slashes. A quadripedal dragon tried to swipe at them, so Nepgear slid under the claw and cut at its hind legs; Neptune finished it off in one hit by practically slashing its face in half as it fell over. A large sea dragon tried to blast the two with electricity, so they dodged to the sides; Neptune kicked a glowing, blue sword at its side while Nepgear sliced it like a fine sushi.

No matter how each monster tried to attack, the two Planeptune sisters defeated them flawlessly. Every so often the duo would exchange glances before going back into the action, as if silently communicating through eye contact alone. At some point the waves of monsters slowed down, giving the two a quick breather.

"Wow, these monsters are a total joke," Neptune remarked aloud, resting the back of her sword on her shoulder. "I know I'm a super awesome protagonist and all, but I was hoping they'd put up a bit more of a fight than this."

"Maybe you've just gotten stronger again without realizing it, sis," Nepgear suggested. "Or maybe..." The candidate brought a finger to her chin in contemplation.

"Maybe?"

"Maybe we just compliment each other that well."

"..."

"S-sis… Err... Neptune…?"

"That's…"

"Th-that's what?"

"That's… That's… So romantic!"

"Huh…? Neptune what are you- Ooof!"

All of a sudden, Neptune had gone from quiet and serious to full on puppy mode. She immediately glomped the younger candidate, knocking the two of them to the ground, where she nuzzled the girl like a kitten.

"I was kind of "Iffy" about it before, but now I'm sure of it," The CPU paused pulling herself away from Nepgear just enough to still be on top of her and look her dead in the eyes. "You and I were meant for each other, Nepgear!" Right on cue, Nepgear went full supernova, or at least her face did. "Wow Nepgear, your face almost looks like a Red Hot Chilli Pepper."

"Neptune! We're in the middle of a dungeon!" Nepgear uttered in a banshee-like wail. "Th-there might still be more monsters, so-"

"We already beat most of the monsters here, so it's all good."

"But there might still be more of them around. Or what if there's someone else here?" By this point Nepgear's legs started to shift uncomfortably under her sister's eyes.

"Maybe, maybe not." Was Neptune's retort.

"Neptune please!" The candidate practically pleaded. Much as she may have wanted to stay this close to Neptune on the inside, she knew better than to let her wants get the better of her while in the middle of a dungeon of all places, even if most of the monsters _had_ been cleared out by now.

"All right, all right. I get it," Neptune finally complied and got off from on top of the candidate. "But we're definitely picking this up as soon as we get back home." Even so, the CPU still couldn't resist teasing the candidate, grinning at the blush on Nepgear's face.

"..." Nepgear meanwhile was doing all under her power not to let Neptune's teasing get to her too much. After a good slap on the cheeks and a few deep breaths the candidate had successfully calmed herself down. Even so, she made sure not to let her guard down; one could never be too careful around Neptune, after all. "L-let's go. I think we're just about done here." The candidate robotically muttered.

"You got it, sister," Neptune joked cheerfully. The CPU marched forward, Nepgear following shortly after with a more stoic look on her face in contrast to Neptune's jovial one. However, something Neptune had said elicited an odd reaction out of Nepgear.

The rest of their walk was spent in relative quiet. While, sure there was no stopping Neptune from making a few comments she wasn't being as much of a chatterbox as she usually might. This allowed Nepgear a few moments to her own inner machinations. One thought in particular dominated the candidate's full attention all the while.

"I wonder… Hey si… Neptune?" The candidate started hesitantly.

"What's up Nep Jr.?" The CPU asked, shooting a glance over her shoulder. She didn't seem to realize she'd called Nepgear by her nickname, but hearing that nickname seemed to elicit an odd reaction out of Nepgear.

"What's up?"

"Well..." Nepgear scratched her cheek, trying to muster her courage to finally ask. After a short pause, she had found her resolve. "I wanted to know… Why did you start calling me by my name?"

"Huh?" Neptune tilted her head in confusion, coming to a stop. "What do you mean?" She asked curiously.

"Well… Ever since we started… S-since back then," A light pink dusted the candidate's cheeks from the recollection of previous events. "Ever since then you haven't called me by my nickname until just now."

"Oh! S-sorry, it just kind of came out, but… Is that a problem?" The CPU asked, genuinely confused. "I mean… Isn't that what people do when they're dating? I'm pretty sure I read that somewhere before." Much to Nepgear's surprise, Neptune started to blush and look away shyly. "I… I just figured you might like it better if I called you by name."

"Neptune..." It was cute. Seeing her sister looking so bashful was actually really cute. "I see." Nepgear smiled to herself as she walked ahead of her sister, an action that confused the CPU even more.

"N-Nepgear?"

"You know, it feels weird to hear you use my actual name all the time."

"Nep..." Neptune stopped herself midway. "Oh… Man, this whole dating thing is a lot harder than they make it look on TV."

"Heheh." The candidate giggled cutely to herself as she walked ahead in front of her sister. "I think so, too. But I also think the two of us are way different from the people on TV. And…" The blush returned to Nepgear's cheeks. "I don't mind if you still want to call me by my nickname."

"...Well, I guess I can't argue with you there," Neptune said casually, smirking to herself and shrugging her shoulders all the while. "So, where should we go from here Nep Jr.?"

"Well, I don't think there are many more monsters left around here," The candidate spoke with a newfound spunk in her voice. "Let's finish here so we can move on to the next area."

"Sounds good to me."

 **-~-~-~- _Purple Lovers_ -~-~-~-**

Unbeknownst to the purple duo, they were not the only ones in that dungeon.

"Oh? To think that I'd run into you two out here," The busty, blonde CPU said to no one in particular. "I suppose now is as good a time as any to jump into action. Forgive me Neptune, but I am a very competitive person by nature." A smirk crossed the Leanbox Goddess's features as a fire was lit inside her. Even though the battle had yet to begin, she already had a triumphant look on her face. "Mark my words, by this day's end, Nepgear will be Leanbox's very own CPU Candida-AAAAHHH!" At least until the cliff she was standing on gave out. That was kind of a bummer.


	19. Improvising Is Harder Than It Looks!

"Forget you ever saw this!"

"I don't know about that Vert. It's not every day you see a Goddess fall off the side of a cliff like that. I don't think I can forget something like that if I tried. You almost gave me a heart attack with how loud you were screaming."

"Neptune, I swear-"

"Okay, okay, I get it." Descending to the ground, Purple Heart undid her transformation, after letting Vert down of course, and was back to her usual short self. "Still, I didn't expect to see you here, Verty buddy," The purple CPU exclaimed.

"Likewise." Upon landing, Vert instantly diverted her attention to Nepgear. "Hello, Nepgear. It is good to see you."

"Hello, Vert," The Candidate greeted back. "I didn't think we'd run into you here. Did you come to do some quests, too?"

"Not exactly," The CPU answered. "I hadn't intended to do any quests today, but when I'd heard about the quest here I decided to make a special exception. It's been so long since I've been here, so I was curious to see how much had changed since then." A nostalgic look crossed Vert's face as she gave the area a quick once-over. "To be honest, I hardly recognize this place anymore."

"You and me both, Verty," Neptune chimed in. "Speaking of which, is it just me or does the place feel smaller than before?"

"Smaller?" Vert repeated to herself. "I believe the water level may have risen significantly since when I was last here."

"Really?" Neptune asked inquisitively.

"The last time I was here, there were a great deal more monsters roaming the land, not to mention the water level seemed to be diminishing. Some even believed it was only a matter of time before it all dried up and this land became a monster-infested dungeon, so it is quite pleasant to see this has not been the case. Although I do wonder what must have happened to make this land so beautiful again."

"Maybe someone found a way to restore the area since then," Nepgear offered, not wanting to be forgotten in this conversation. "Histoire did tell me about a group in Planeptune that were trying to rejuvenate dying forests and other natural environments around Planeptune."

"I see. Planeptune has always been very keen on living alongside nature, I suppose." The Leanbox CPU stopped for a brief moment to admire the environment around the group. "It's amazing how so much can change over time. This land that should have been dead by now not only clung to life, but it has now become what we see today."

"Huh..." Neptune cast a glance back to Nepgear. "I guess things really do change over time, don't they Jr.?" The CPU gave a cheeky glance at the Candidate, though given the girl's puzzled expression, she didn't understand what Neptune was getting at.

"Well yeah. It'd be boring if everything was the same all the time," Nepgear said. Even though she hadn't picked up on her sister's true meaning, the CPU smiled at her nonetheless, though a bit more teasingly than before. "What's with that smile?"

"Oh, nothing. Just remembering something important is all," Neptune vaguely responded, piquing both Nepgear and Vert's combined interest. But before either could ask, Neptune continued on. "Well, we're pretty much done here, so I say we move on to the next dungeon, Nep Jr."

"Okay!" The Candidate responded cheerfully. "I'm sorry Vert, but my sister and I have a lot of quests to do today."

"Then maybe I'll join you," The Leanbox CPU suggested, surprising the Planeptune sisters. "I had planned to clear out the monsters here, but the two of you have already beaten me to it. Thankfully, I do not have much planned for the day so perhaps I can be of some assistance with your quests."

Neptune brought a hand to her chin, as if mulling over the thought. That only lasted for a few seconds as she reached a decision rather quickly. "The more the merrier, I always say. The sooner we finish these quests the sooner we can go back home and eat some pudding. If you're really okay with helping us out, that is."

"Then I guess that settles it, then," Vert said with a smile. "I shall aid you in clearing your quests for the time being."

"Good to have ya, Vert."

"Thank you so much for your help, Ms. Vert."

"There is no need to be so formal with me, Nepgear," Vert insisted. "I would do anything for my darling, soon-to-be little sister." If only they knew how true that really was. In any case, Nepgear sweatdropped, taking a subconscious step back while Neptune gave Vert a huffy glare. "So where will we be going to next, if I may ask?"

The green CPU's inquiry brought Nepgear's attention back to the quest at hand. "Oh, well, Histy gave us a lot of quests to do, but I think the closest ones from here would be the Sakura Tree Row and the Zeca Ruins after that."

Neptune perked up considerably upon hearing the name of the dungeon that was next on the list. "Ooh. Maybe we can stop to take a break there when we're done. The Sakura trees are usually look best around this time of the year."

"That sounds nice," Nepgear concured. "But we'll have to clear out all the monsters, otherwise I don't think they'll let us enjoy a picnic break."

Unbeknownst to the two purple lovers, a dangerous glint appeared in Vert's eye at the mention of a picnic. "My chance has arriced much sooner than anticipated, it seems." Though her exact words went unheard, Neptune still eyed the busty Goddess curiously. As such, Vert put on her best poker face before taking control of the conversation before Neptune got too suspicious. "As it just so happens, I've brought some tea and snacks with me for just such an occasion. I hadn't expected to run into you two, I'm afraid, so I don't have much."

"It's okay. We passed by the convenience store before we came here," Nepgear interjected, pulling out a number of snacks from her inventory before putting them back in almost immediately before Neptune could get her hands on them. The talk of food seemed to have caught her attention, to which Vert turned her back to the sisters and smirked to herself.

"Then let us be on our way. We wouldn't want to keep all those monsters waiting, now would we?"

"Hey! Wait up, Verty!"

"Wait for me sis! I'm coming, too!"

Perhaps this would be much easier than Vert had anticipated.

 **-~-~-~- _Purple Lovers_ -~-~-~-**

"Well that was even easier than the last one!" Neptune complained aloud.

Nepgear had taken out a blanket from her inventory and setting it on the ground for the group to sit on. She stopped momentarily to glance over to Neptune. "It's all right, Neptune. Maybe there'll be some stronger monsters in the next place." That seemed to get Neptune out of her challenge-less stupor, but she still kept a slight pout; one that Nepgear couldn't help but giggle at.

"How ironic that the laziest CPU also happens to be the most battle-hungry," Vert sighed, more out of the sheer irony than any feelings of exhaustion. "It's almost hard to believe that you've never lost enough shares to put you into a coma."

"Our people just really love Neptune is all," Nepgear chimed in. "We may not always have a lot of shares, but there are still plenty of people with unwavering faith in Neptune no matter what." The Candidate had a proud look on her face when talking about her sister. Needless to say, but it made Vert very jealous while Neptune...

"Aw, I'm not that great." Apparently Neptune _could_ show some modesty if she tried. She blushed slightly at Nepgear's undying belief and love for her, even trying to wave her hands in embarrassment. "You have way more believers than I do, Nepgear. Most of our shares come from you."

"That's not true!" Nepgear visibly disagreed with Neptune's sentiment. "There are plenty of people who love you and..." Looking back, Nepgear saw that Neptune was staring at her very intently for some reason. Glancing at Vert, the bustier CPU sweatdropped at the young Candidate. "Wh-what is it? Is something..." It took a second, but Nepgear finally realized the position she was in. She had dropped to her knees to adjust the blanket and had unknowingly given both CPUs a very clear view of her behind. "L-like I was saying!" Upon realizing this, Nepgear stood up so fast she almost gave herself whiplash with a crimson blush on her face all the while. "It's not just about me."

"If I may interrupt," Vert said. "I'm sure you two have a lot you want to talk about, but why not save it for after we eat? Then you can take all the time in the world to say whatever you two want to say."

Both sisters of Planeptune were silent for a moment when considering the idea. A moment passed and the two shook their heads in approval before taking a seat on the picnic blanket. As one would expect, Neptune was the first to go after the snacks and inhaled them like a syrup pig at a free breakfast buffet. Vert was a bit unsettled by the sight, but Nepgear smiled at her sister's voracious appetite.

"Neptune, you may want to slow down before you choke on your food," Vert said out of instinct.

"Look who you're talking to, Verty!" Neptune retorted. "I'm a champion food eater!" Seconds later, Neptune started coughing wildly and Nepgear had to perform the Heimlich maneuver to get the food dislodged from her windpipe, along with a side of tea afterwards.

"Who could have ever foreseen that coming?" Vert teased sarcastically, smirking at the purple CPU's huffy expression.

After that embarrassing little moment, Neptune made sure to be more careful that she didn't accidentally choke on any of her food a second time, lest she give Vert even more ammunition with which to tease her. All was well for the group's snack break, until the sound of an angry bird screeching from afar caught their attention.

Neptune was first to stand up and survey the land. It didn't take long before she pointed at a large bird some distance away from the group. "Aha! It's a Phoenix!" The purple CPU said giddily. "This one looks pretty strong!"

"Then I'll-" Nepgear didn't get to finish that sentence as Neptune interrupted her quickly.

"Don't worry about it. You guys can stay here, I can handle this one by myself." A cocky smirk crossed the short CPU's face, her sword materialized in her hands as she stared down the avian monster. In a flash of light, Purple Heart appeared and flew forward before either Nepgear or Vert could say anything. "This won't take more than a minute."

"Neptune...! Goodness," Was all Nepgear could say in response to her sister's enthusiasm towards battle.

"You worry too much, Nepgear," Vert said. "You have so much faith in your sister, I'm sure a simple Phoenix won't give her too much trouble."

"I know, but..." Even despite Vert's words it was clear that Nepgear still wanted to be at her sister's side. Vert knew Nepgear was something of a siscon, but she hadn't seen the Candidate act so clingy since...

"Did something happen between you two?" Vert asked. When Nepgear stiffened up and a renewed blush crossed her features, Vert became extremely curious. It wasn't helped by the fact that Nepgear stuttered over her own words with the next sentence.

"Wha-wha-wha! No! I-It's nothing! Nothing at all!" Vert didn't buy into that for even a second, raising an eyebrow and giving the Candidate a questioning look.

"So something did happen."

"W-W-Well..."

"Nepgear," Vert started in a calm tone of voice. "It's okay. You can tell me anything. I won't judge you." Despite Vert's words of assurance, Nepgear still looked very hesitant to say anything. The girl seemed to stop for several seconds to stop and think about it before she finally spoke again.

"Do you mean it?" Nepgear finally asked. "You'll really listen?"

"Of course."

"Really?"

"You have my word."

With that, Nepgear finally got into the mood to talk. She took a deep breath, looked Vert straight in the eye and finally, she told her story to the Leanbos CPU. It should go without saying, but Vert was very, very taken aback by the Candidate's story.

"Yesterday, at the carnival... Neptune told me she was in love with me..."

"... Huh...?" Vert cocked her head to the side, unsure if she'd heard that right. It took many a moment for her mind to process the sudden information that had been thrust upon her. "Neptune told you... She's in love with you?" It took the Leanbox CPU mumbling those words for it to finally sink in. "Excuse me?!" Was all Vert could think to say in that situation.

"Oh! I knew I shouldn't have said anything!" Nepgear yelped aloud. Her face was a cherry red as she covered her hands with her face and turned away from Vert in embarrassment.

"No! I-It's all right. You just took me by surprise is all," Vert tried to assure the Candidate. Even so, she probably didn't sound very assuring when she was stumbling all over her own words while her brain was going over a mile a minute with various thoughts flashing across her mind. "S-S-So you and Neptune are... Dating...now..." The words came out in such a defeated tone of voice. "I... I see... I see..."

The Leanbox CPU could almost feel her heart sinking in her chest, her shoulders slumping over. For the first time in a long time, Vert had no idea what to do, and that frustrated her to no end. While Vert often prided herself on being able to adapt to different situations on the fly, skills in an MMO don't translate all that well into real life.

All the while, Nepgear kept her face cupped into her hands, too absorbed in her own thoughts – no doubt all of those involving Neptune – to notice the Leanbox CPU's inner turmoil. She just kept blushing and muttering something under her breath that Vert could barely make out. Not like it would do her much good anyway.

"I... I know this is wrong since she's my sister, but... I can't help it!" Nepgear yelped. Her voice came out muffled from under her hands. "Please don't think worse of me for this, Vert!"

"N-no... It's... It's just that... Two sister being together is... Is..." Suddenly, and without warning, an idea began to stir in the Leanbox CPU's head. She cast a cautious glance towards Nepgear as the Candidate's words echoed in her head over and over again, and before she knew it, a new plan began to form. She just needed to make sure of something now. "Is... Is a very strange thing indeed."

"Oh! I knew it!" Nepgear yelped in shame. "Why did I have to fall in love with my own sister?! I knew this was wrong!" Unbeknownst to the Candidate, a sly smirk crossed Vert's features for a brief moment before making way to a more serious expression. That was exactly the response she had been hoping for.

"I can't say that I approve of the idea of two sister dating, Nepgear," Vert said as matter-of-factly as possible, her voice deadly serious. Nepgear winced in reaction, but Vert was not done there. Not by a long shot. "What kind of message would that be sending to the citizens if they found out that their CPU and CPU Candidate had started dating? Just imagine the kind of backlash you two would receive once word of this gets to the general public."

Nepgear shrunk away thanks to Vert's harsh words. "What should I do?! I know it's wrong, but I want to stay with Neptune! But I also don't want everyone to think badly of her just because she wanted to be with me! Oh, I don't know what to do!"

"I'm afraid I don't know what to tell you, Nepgear. The vast majority just cannot accept incestuous relationships." That was a lie. Vert knew all too well that there were plenty of people in Planeptune who didn't mind the idea of their CPU and Candidate ending up together, but Nepgear didn't need to know that. "Of course, there is still a way for you to get around this issue."

Nepgear's ears perked up, head cocking back to look at Vert curiously. "Wh-What do you mean?" The candidate quietly asked.

"I may know of a way for you and Neptune to be together without having to worry about what everyone thinks." Vert had to hold back a triumphant grin as Nepgear leaned in closer, eyes brimming with a renewed sense of hope.

"What is it?" This was all going according to plan.

"Well, you see Nepgear..."

 **-~-~-~- _Purple Lovers_ -~-~-~-**

"I swear Phoenixes aren't supposed to be that fast," Purple Heart mused to herself as she took to the ground. Defeating that pesky Phoenix had taken a bit longer than expected, but now that the deed had been done, the CPU made her way back to her group. Her annoyed expression gave way to a smile when she caught sight of her beloved Nepgear, still seated on the picnic blanket. Just knowing the girl was there was enough to put her at ease in a matter of seconds.

As her feet touched the ground, Neptune reverted to her default human form before she giddily skipped her way over to Vert and Nepgear. Vert was calmly sipping tea with a content smile on her face while Nepgear had her back to Neptune. As such, Neptune decided to approach a bit more stealthily, and once she was close enough, she covered Nepgear's eyes with her hands.

"What the goodness!"

"Guess who~?" The CPU asked playfully. She quickly dropped her hands and gave Nepgear a wide smile before leaning against the younger girl's back and hugging her from behind. "I told you I could take care of it myself," Neptune proudly proclaimed.

"...I'm just glad you're okay, Neptune." Nepgear smiled back at Neptune, leaning into the purple CPU's embrace. Neptune's smile widened as she nuzzled her sister, but she stopped when she noticed that Nepgear's smile had been replaced by a more contemplative look on her face.

"Hey, is something wrong Nep Jr.? You look like you're spacing out on me," Neptune asked worriedly. Almost as if on cue, Vert smirked to herself as Nepgear looked Neptune straight in the eye.

"W-Well..."

"Well?"

"It's just that..."

"Just what?"

"...Neptune... I've... I've decided that I want to become Leanbox's CPU Candidate!"

"... Say whaaaaaaaaaaa-"


	20. A Big Decision!

"-aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa-"

"Do you think she's all right? She's been at this for well over a minute now," Vert asked the CPU Candidate by her side. "I must admit, she does have an impressive set of lungs. Though, I suppose I should have expected that from someone who talks as much as Neptune does."

"To be honest, I've never seen her like this before," Nepgear answered. "I guess the news must have surprised her more than I thought it would. Maybe I should have waited a bit longer to tell her."

"The result would have been the same, I'm sure. Hearing that her own little sister wants to move to Leanbox was bound to be quite a bombshell to drop no matter when or how she heard it," Vert offered in attempts to assuage Nepgear's concerns. "Perhaps it's better that she find out sooner, instead of waiting and drawing it out."

"Maybe, but even so..."

"Let's not dwell on such a thing," Vert suggested, "I believe it would our time would be better spent on something else."

"Like what?" Nepgear asked.

Putting on her serious face, Vert looked Nepgear straight in the eye and asked, "Are you truly sure you want to go through with this?" Her voice took on a much more no-nonsense tone than her usually relaxed one. The sudden change took Nepgear by surprise. "This is not a matter to be taken lightly. We are talking about converting a CPU Candidate of another nation into one she was not born into. Such a thing is unheard of in this day and age. In fact, I don't think such a thing has ever happened before in all of Gamindustri's history."

"...I'm aware of that," Nepgear finally responded. "To be honest, I do still have some doubts about the idea."

"Then perhaps we should-"

"But!" Nepgear interrupted with a force more often seen in a lion, taking Vert aback for a second. "I still think I need to try. I've been with Neptune forever, and the more time I spent with her, the more I started to fall in love with her. If there's a chance I can make it so that we have one less thing to worry about in our relationship, then I want to take that chance."

"Nepgear... I see. It seems I've grossly underestimated your resolve." Vert smiled at the young girl. "You will make a fine Candidate for Leanbox. I have no doubt that the people will welcome you with open arms."

"Goodness, I don't think I'm anything special."

"Nonsense. You should have more confidence in yourself, Nepgear," Vert stated proudly. "You can't always let Neptune take the lead in every situation. She is so wild and unpredictable that if you let her, she will find a way to lead any situation into a chaotic spiral."

"...I'll try," Nepgear said shyly. "I can't make any promises, though... Goodness, is Neptune still going?"

"Oh my, I was so caught up in our conversation that I nearly forgot about her. I knew she was a talker, but with lungs like that she could probably set a new world record... Oh, look. I think she's finally running out of breath."

"aaaaaaat...?" After what must have been at least a full minute of her drawn out reaction, Neptune finally ceased. She stared forward, wide-eyed and taking deep, slow breaths to refill her lungs after her little episode. "I don't... think I heard that... right..." Neptune said in between breaths. "I could have... could have sworn I just heard Nep Jr. say she wanted to become Leanbox's Candidate, but there's no way that-"

"Neptune, I want to become Leanbox's CPU Candidate." Nepgear cut off her sister, earning a disbelieving stare from the elder CPU.

"But... But why?!" Neptune exclaimed in disbelief. "You're already Planeptune's Candidate! Is that even allowed?!"

"I do not believe there exist any rules prohibiting CPU Candidates from switching to other nations," Vert chimed in. "They are not full-fledged CPUs, so there shouldn't be any problem if they one decided to do such a thing."

"B-But you'd be going from Planeptune to Leanbox! Think about this, Nepgear!" Neptune urged.

"I have thought about it!" Nepgear countered. "We're... We're sisters, so most of our people are bound to think poorly of our relationship. I know you said not to worry about it, but I can't do that. Even Vert doesn't think things might not go well once people start finding out about us."

"Oh, I see what's going on!" The shorter CPU pointed a finger accusingly at her taller blonde friend. "You must be filling Nepgear's head with all these weird ideas!"

"I am only trying to think about this situation rationally," Vert retorted calmly. "You seem to have a great deal of faith that your people will accept your newfound relationship, but on the off-chance they don't, then what will you do?" Neptune quickly opened her mouth to speak, but when no words came out, Vert saw it fit to continue. "Neptune, I consider you a good friend of mine, that is why I would rather not see you suffer unnecessarily."

"B-But... But... That doesn't mean Nepgear has to go to Leanbox! We can figure something-"

"Sis," Nepgear interrupted. "I know this must be really surprising, but I think this is the best thing we can do."

"..." Neptune fell silent. "But even so, I-"

"Neptune, I understand you must feel very conflicted about this matter, but would you kindly stop for a moment to listen to out reasoning?" The Leanbox CPU requested. When Neptune nodded her head slightly, Vert saw it fit to go on. "Thank you. I assure you that this will benefit all of us in the long run."

There was a sudden gust of wind that blew Neptune off balance for a brief moment. One could almost consider it like the winds of change; too strong for even a Goddess to resist.

"Gracious, the winds today are quite strong." Even Vert herself was taken aback by the sudden gust, though, unlike Neptune and Nepgear, she recovered far quicker. "At any rate, as Nepgear herself says, incestuous relations aren't exactly viewed in the most positive light. As such, I believe it would be beneficial to your relationship if Nepgear were to become Leanbox's Candidate."

"I still don't see how."

"I was getting to that," Said Vert, "So long as she in not the CPU Candidate of Planeptune – that is to say, Purple Sister, then the populace would likely stop viewing her as your sister, don't you think? Not to mention that if she became the Candidate of Leanbox, your relationship with her could help strengthen ties between our two nations greatly."

"But that's..."

"Sis," Nepgear began, "Neptune. I was a little unsure about the idea at first when Vert brought it up, but now I think it's worth a shot. And it's not like we won't be able to see each other once everything is said and done. I'll make sure to come see you every week, no, every day that I'm able to. It might take some getting used to, but I'm sure it'll work out somehow."

"Indeed." Vert smirked to herself triumphantly. Neptune, on the other hand, hurriedly flapped her lips open and shut like a fish out of water; probably in some vain attempt to find a counter argument to Vert and Nepgear's case. It was clear from her silence that she was unable to think of anything to say. "Well, if you've nothing to say, I suppose that settles that. Now, as much as I'd enjoy questing a little more, I believe it would benefit us if we got this matter started as soon as possible. Therefore, I suggest Nepgear and I speak with Chika about the matter while you have a chat with Histoire and explain things to her, Neptune."

"B-But-"

"Don't worry, Neptune. I'm sure it won't take very long," Nepgear chirped, "Once we talk to Chika, maybe we can... We can go on a date..."

Under normal circumstances, Neptune would have been thrilled at the prospect of a date, under these conditions, she felt extremely conflicted. "Nepgear, please, just stop for a second..." Her words fell on deaf ears; Nepgear was already turning her back on Neptune, about to transform along with Vert and leave Neptune where she stood, unsure of what to say.

"We shall call you once we have convinced Chika," Vert said in a matter-of-fact fashion. A moment later she was wrapped in light and, as Green Heart, she slowly took to the sky along with Nepgear while Neptune watched them from the ground with increasing levels of distress building inside of her until she could take it no more.

"Wait!" Neptune called out as she unintentionally transformed into her own Goddess form. Both Nepgear and Vert were taken aback as she suddenly grabbed the purple Candidate by the arm, keeping her from going anywhere. "Don't go," Purple Heart pleaded in a voice unbefitting of her proud and regal appearance. "Please just hold on a minute, Nepgear. Don't you think this is happening a little too fast? One second we're supposed to be having a picnic and now you're leaving me?"

"I s-said I wouldn't be gone long," Nepgear tried to reason, "I'm not going to leave you."

"But Nepgear-"

"Trust me!"

"..." Purple Heart went silent, her bangs falling to make her expression unreadable.

"I know this is sudden, I really do. But I don't think I'll be able to have any peace of mind unless I do _something_." Purple Heart still wouldn't respond. Her silence was not something normally experienced from one as lively and bombastic as Neptune. In an attempt to ease the CPU, even if only a little, Nepgear wrapped her arms around her and leaned her head into the CPU's shoulder. "I know you don't like this; you don't have to, but I promise you I'll come back at some point. Just make sure you're ready for our date, okay Neptune?"

Nepgear had continued her embrace for a few minutes, gently stroking her older sister's back. However, as the seconds passed, she let go and pulled away from her beloved, much to Neptune's dismay. The CPU desperately reached out a hand for her sister, only for it to go ignored by the CPU Candidate. There was nothing more Neptune could do, other than watch as her sister took off with Vert and flew south towards Leanbox.

However, just before the two took off, Vert directed her gaze at her fellow CPU. Whatever was going on in her head went completely unknown to both Nepgear and Neptune, not that they would probably care either way. Perhaps even she wasn't entirely sure of what she was feeling, but who could say? Whatever the case, she quickly returned her gaze back to Nepgear as the two flew off to the land of green pastures.

"I love you..."

That was the last thing Neptune could muster, but by then, Nepgear was already out of sight, but most definitely not out of mind. Yes, much like Neptune, the Purple Sister certainly knew how to drive people crazy sometimes.

"Is being in relationship supposed to make me feel so conflicted...?" She said to no one particular. She summoned a katana from her inventory and stared at it in silent contemplation. She unsheathed it to see a slight reflection of her on the blade's side. The sword that had once been left to rust in a closet had been restored back to its former glory. "I really wanted to show you this, Nepgear."

Silence.

"Stupid Nepgear..."


	21. A Sour Turn!

A restless Chika found herself waiting impatiently in the living quarters of the Leanbox basilicom. There was a cup of piping hot tea sitting on the table in front of her, but the green-haired oracle seemed far more interested in tapping her finger on the table without pause; she was clearly feeling impatient for her darling's return.

She cast a glance towards the clock, clicking her tongue when she realized it hadn't even been a minute since the last time she checked the darned thing. She tried to calm herself down by taking a sip of her tea, but recoiled slightly from the heat it gave off. She cursed to herself before blowing into the cup and adding some sugar to try and ease the sting.

Once the tea had cooled off a bit, she took another sip. If only Chika hadn't been so wound up at the moment she might have been able to actually enjoy the soothing drink, but alas, no such luck. She was severely lacking in chill pills, as it were.

"Argh!" Chika groaned to herself with a pout. "She should have been back by now. What's taking so long?" The oracle took another sip of her tea; it wasn't helping with anything, but it'd be a waste to leave such good tea sit there with no one to drink it. "What if something happened while she was out? ...Oh, no! What if she got beaten by a monster?! No! There's no way my darling would ever lose to some wild monster like that… I hope..."

Seeing as how the tea wasn't doing anything for her, Chika stood up from her seat and proceeded to pace around the room. She might as well have been trying to input some sort of cheat code into the floor. The Leanbox oracle eventually lost track of time as she devolved into spending her time mumbling to herself about all the possibilities of what could be happening to Vert.

It is a good thing then, that a knock soon came at the door to the basilicom's balcony. The oracle whipped her head like a dog ready to greet their owner. However, Chika's smile vanished just as quickly when she noticed a certain purple-haired CPU Candidate standing behind her beloved Vert. She had to hold back a frustrated grunt so as to at least maintain the facade of professionalism; she was still Leanbox's oracle, after all.

"Hello, Chika," Vert greeted upon opening the door, "I have returned with some good news."

"H-Hello, Ms. Chika,"Nepgear awkwardly greeted with a polite bow.

"Welcome to Leanbox, Lady Nepgear," Chika greeted back with a bow of her own. Her tone quickly took on a more cheerful demeanor when speaking to Vert. "It's wonderful to see you back, my darling. I was starting to worry something bad might have happened. Would you like some tea? Be careful though, it's very hot."

"Tea sounds lovely," Vert said, "I suppose we can talk while we have a drink. Would you like a cup, Nepgear?" Chika's eye twitched from hearing Vert speak so casually to Nepgear. Luckily, neither of them seemed to notice, and even if they did, they probably thought nothing of it.

"S-Sure," Nepgear answered.

"S-So, what's this good news, darling?" Chika asked reluctantly, pouring two more cups of tea for Nepgear and her beloved. "You sounded really cheerful when mentioning it, so it must be really good, right?"

"Oh, it's more than just good," Vert corrected, "I'd almost go as far as to say it's a miracle. It seems that fate is smiling down on me today."

"I see..." Chika said. On the outside she was completely calm, but on the inside she was practically screaming bloody murder. Perhaps it was just her paranoia getting to her – she really hoped that was the case – but a part of her was telling her she wasn't going to like where this conversation was about to go. "D-Do go on, then."

"Nepgear has decided that she wants to become Leanbox's CPU Can-"

"AH! I knew it!" Chika shrieked, causing Nepgear to jump in surprise. "You're replacing me with her! What have I done to make you hate me so, my darling?! Am I not good enough anymore?!"

"G-Goodness, that's not it at all," Nepgear tried to assure, but her words fell on deaf ears.

"Don't patronize me, Purple Jr.! I know how these things go! My darling Vert is always talking about how much she could have a little sister like you. I always feared this day would come, but to think it would happen like this! I've always tried to be the greatest little sister ever! What have I done wrong?!"

"What the goodness... Purple Jr.?" Was all Nepgear could say upon witnessing Chika's gradual decline in sanity.

"I had a feeling this would happen," Vert chimed in, completely ignoring Chika as she rolled around on the floor like a child throwing a temper tantrum. "Just leave her be for the time being Nepgear. She'll calm down eventually. Although, it might take a little longer than usual, considering the gravity of what we're trying to discuss."

"R-Right..."

"Here's hoping she doesn't have the same lung capacity as your sister."

"Y-Yeah..."

The CPU and Candidate took this opportunity to enjoy their tea while Chika was busy practicing her theatrical skills by over-exaggerating her every motion and word as if she was an actor in a play. Chika's thespian attitude aside, the tea had a pleasant flavor to it, a darjeeling blend to be precise; Vert's favorite. A content smile crossed the green CPU's features thanks to the delightful aroma and flavor. However, no tea was complete without a snack to go along with it. With this in mind, Vert stood up from her seat, paying no mind to her oracle as she walked past the greenette on her way to the kitchen, where she looked around until she found some cookies to go with her tea. She brought them back with her and shared them with Nepgear as the oracle of Leanbox continued to wail like a dying banshee.

"And furthermore, I… Huuuu… Huuuu… I… I… Give me a second..."

After some time, Chika finally collapsed into a fit of heavy breathing. Both CPU and Candidate gave the woman a concerned look as she fought to catch her breath after that show of sheer bravado. Vert was kind enough to hand her a glass of water, which Chika guzzled down without hesitation.

"Now, then," Vert began, "If you are done, I would very much like to get on with our discussion, Chika."

Chika took a second to finish her water, setting it down with a clink on the table. "There is nothing to discuss," Chika countered, "I will never accept this for as long as I live!"

"As expected, I knew you were going to be difficult about this." Chika could only respond by crossing her arms defiantly and puffing her cheeks as she look away. "At least hear me out," Vert requested.

"What is there to hear? You want to replace me with the Candidate of Planeptune!"

"Chika..."

"I mean, I always knew you had your eye on her, but to think this day would actually come!"

"Chika."

"Where did I go wrong? I've always strived to be the best sister I could be, but to lose out to a siscon-"

"Chika!"

Chika jumped back upon hearing Vert shout. Nepgear was also a bit surprised, but Chika was very close to falling over. The green CPU took another sip of her tea, casually ignoring the reactions from her compatriots. Afterwards, she calmly set her cup down, stood up from her seat and looked Chika straight in the eyes.

"It would seem you are misunderstanding the situation here, Chika."

"I think I understand just fi- Guh!"

Before Chika could get in another word, Vert clasped her hands on her oracle's cheeks, squishing them together like a pair of fish lips. Nepgear had to stifle a chuckle at how silly the oracle looked while Vert calmly said, "Chika, listen to me."

Chika slowly nodded, albeit somewhat begrudgingly.

"Nepgear decided that she wants to become Leanbox's CPU Candidate of her own accord. I can understand why you feel the way you do, but try looking at it this way..." The CPU finally let go of her oracle's face, finally freeing her head to move freely. "If Nepgear becomes Leanbox's CPU Candidate, she wouldn't be _my_ little sister."

Chika looked at Vert like she'd suddenly grown a second head. Even Nepgear was confused by the green CPU's word choice. What did she mean by-

"She would be _our_ little sister, would she not?"

"...Wha..."

"Make no mistake Chika, I still see you as my family. Even so, I also think it would be wonderful if we could expand out family, but it seems you are not on board with the idea. Such a shame, too. We only wanted to at least discuss the idea with you, but if you're going to be like that..."

"Wait, wait, wait!" Chika waved her hands forward, likely to stop Vert from talking as she made her counterpoint. "I see what you're trying to do here. I'm not falling for that!" The oracle crossed her arms defiantly, looking away with a pout.

"My, you are awfully stubborn about this," Vert said, "I was hoping I could get you to see things my way, but I suppose I shouldn't dwell on that now." Crossing her arms, Vert took on a more serious tone of voice, coupled with a more calm expression. "Chika..."

"I'm sorry, sister, but I cannot approve of this situation," Chika stated with a sense of finality.

"Ms. Chika, please listen!" Much to the Leanbox duo's surprise, it was Nepgear who intervened, with much more fervor and passion than she was known for. "I know this is asking for a lot, but I made this decision myself, so… I'd appreciate it if you could hear me out, even if only for a minute." The girl pleaded with puppy-dog eyes.

"Uh…" Chika stepped back subconsciously, staring at Nepgear in surprise. Her eyes drifted to Vert, as if seeking out her guidance or something of the sort, but it was clear that she was just as surprised by Nepgear's show of passion as Chika was. As a result, all Vert could do was shrug, leaving the decision in the oracle's hands. "W-Well, I can't promise I'll change my mind, but I'll at least hear you out if you're so adamant about it."

Nepgear burst into a thankful smile, taking Chika's hands and shaking them gratefully. "Thank you so much, Ms. Chika!"

"I get it, I get it!" Chika spoke, wrestling her arms from Nepgear's grasp. "Just… Just talk before I change my mind."

"R-Right!" Clearing her throat, Nepgear adjusted her dress in an attempt to look more professional. It didn't help that she was rigid and more than a little shaky, but she carried on regardless. "Y-You see, a while back I… I was in a bit of a bind… A lot of stuff has happened so fast that I didn't know what to do, but then Ms. Vert showed up and we started talking. To be honest, I'm still a little unsure of this, but I feel like by doing this, we can foster a better relationship between Planeptune and Leanbox. B-But... But the main reason is that... I think this would be good for me and my... my..."

"Her girlfriend," Vert said, finishing the candidate's sentence, eliciting a brilliant explosion of red to blossom on her face.

"I see, I see..." Chika didn't see. "...What are you talking about?" Chika asked bluntly, crossing her arms expectantly. "I mean, I get the thing about building bonds between nations, but what does you having a girlfriend have to do with any of this? Who is this girlfriend you're talking about anyway?"

"W-Well..."

"Neptune."

"..." A beat. "...E-Excuse me?" Chika blinked. "Your girlfriend is..." She blinked again… Make that several more times… At least somewhere the triple digits. "Y-You're, you're, you are… Haha, you're girlfriend, the person you're dating is… Your sister..." Another beat. "SAY WHAT?!"

"Ow... my poor ears..."

"You get used to it over time."

Chika's eyes began shaking, widening to the size of saucers, her mouth practically on the floor. She blinked rapidly like she was trying to blink away something caught in her eye. Her mouth opened and closed like a fish as her mind raced to fathom what she'd just been told.

"So your new girlfriend is you sister?" Chika asked.

Nepgear nodded in confirmation.

"Your older sister Neptune?"

Nepgear nodded once more.

"I see..." Chika could think of nothing more to say for well over a minute. The trio were left in an awkward silence before finally Chika regained her senses, shaking her head like a dog and slapping herself on the cheeks to try and calm herself. "Okay… I think I understand the situation… I think..."

"Indeed," Vert chimed in, pouring a cup of tea before offering to the dazed oracle. Chika took it without hesitation, downing it in one quick chug as Vert went on. "You see, Nepgear believes that her nation may not be entirely accepting of her new relationship. That is why I presented the idea that she could become the candidate of Leanbox. There is no guarantee it will solve everything right away, but she know that and has chosen this herself."

"I uderStaNd..." Chika spoke in a more calm and collected voice. The voice crack kind of gave away how she was really feeling, but that's beside the point. "Although, I may need some time to think on this."

"...I understand," Nepgear said calmly with a polite bow. "Thank you for listening."

"Take as much time as you need. We are in no rush," Vert assured the oracle before turning her attention to Nepgear. "Feel free to make yourself at home while you're here, Nepgear. I'll call you if anything comes up."

"...All right. Thank you, Vert." With one more bow, Nepgear took her leave from the room, leaving Vert and Chika as she left the two to their own devices.

"..." Just as Nepgear was walking out of the door, however, Chika cast one quick glance at the girl's retreating form. She didn't say anything, she simply watched her, unmoving and silent as the door finally closed behind the purple girl. "...I'm not so sure about this, Vert."

"Oh, my..." Vert stared at the oracle in surprise. "It's rare to hear you say my name like that."

"Are you sure about this?" The oracle asked calmly.

"Of course I am sure," Vert responded without hesitation. To her surprise, Chika sighed and nodded her head, staring the CPU dead on. It was almost like a complete role reversal from just a moment ago.

"That's not what I mean," Chika started, "I may not remember much about it, but I know there was a time when you considered Neptune one of, if not your very best friend." Vert froze in place, eyes wide as she stare at Chika. "If we really go through with this, then your friendship might never be able to go back to the way it was."

"..."

"Vert."

"I… I know that..."

"Did you, though?"

"Chika… Please just… Leave me for a minute..."

"...I guess I'm not the only one who needs to think things over, huh? Well… Like you said, we have plenty of time… Just promise me you won't do anything you'll regret later down the line."

"..."

"I'll be going now. I'm going to go shopping. I'll be back by dinner at the latest."

Silence fell upon the room. Chika had gone, leaving Vert alone with only her innermost thoughts to keep her company. She was motionless for a moment, but as the seconds passed, she grabbed the tea pot and poured herself another cup. As she was about to take a sip however, she stopped and stared at her own reflection. For a moment... it almost looked like Neptune had appeared on the tea's surface.

"I guess we were like that once... Weren't we?"

 **-~-~-~- _Purple Lovers_ -~-~-~-**

"She said what?!" An astounded Histoire shrieked.

"Owie…" Neptune winced. "I know you're surprised and all, but I bet even Blanc must have heard that one from her fortress of solitude," Neptune joked. Unfortunately, her attempts at lightening the mood did nothing to alleviate Histoire's tension. In fact, Neptune's attempts to crack a joke may have actually made the situation worse.

"Now is not the time to be joking around, Neptune!" The tiny oracle rubbed her temples in frustration. "I swear, that girl can be even more impulsive than you at times, Neptune. Doesn't she realize that becoming the Candidate of another nation will mean she has to take on a part of their workload as well? It would take weeks before she is at a point where she'd be able to even visit. There is also the matter of whether the people would even accept her or not. Something such as that could be even more problematic than her newfound relationship with you."

"I know, right?" Neptune chimed in once more.

"Neptune!" Histoire yelled, much louder than she'd initially intended. "Why did you let her go?! You could have said something to stop her!"

"I'm not very smart, okay!" Neptune retorted. "I wanted to say something, but I couldn't think of anything. I'm not like you or Nepgear, I'm not good at using my brain on the spot like that!"

"You could have at least done _something_! You said you wanted to be with her, didn't you?!"

"Of course I did! I still do!"

"Then why?!"

"Because I was scared I'd mess something up!" Neptune grit her teeth as the words left her mouth, clenching her firsts so tight it was a miracle she didn't draw any blood. "I messed up once already, so I didn't want to do it again. Heck, I messed up so bad once that it lasted for over a dozen years; I don't want to do that again. I don't want to go back to being the person I was back then."

"Neptune..." For a moment, Histoire seemed to simmer down, but that didn't last long, as she was back to serious mode in an instant. "What happened to you? You're supposed to be more confident than this. You could have done something to keep her from going."

"There was nothing I _could_ do, except maybe _fight_ Vert. And even then, I might not be the smartest person, but even I can tell that would have been a bad move on my part!"

Histoire sighed to herself, taking a deep breath in an attempt to calm herself down. "You can't fall back on that excuse, Neptune. Nepgear has always listened to you, whether it be for better or for worse. You are the only one who could have stopped her from going. And yet, you didn't."

"..." Neptune didn't reply to that. Whether it was because she couldn't think of an argument, or because she secretly agreed with Histoire was known only to her.

"You have never once let fear stop you from doing anything. And yet, for once you could not overcome it to stop Nepgear from leaving." Histoire gave one final look at Neptune, a look that was absolutely oozing with disappointment. She would later come to regret ever opening her mouth and speaking her next few sentences. "You ignored her for several years, did nothing when Plutia did... whatever she did to her and now you just watched as she left with someone else to another nation. Sometimes I wonder why she still loves you so much. I can see why so many consider you a failure."

And thus marked the straw that broke the camel's back.

Neptune's hands went limp, he body shaky. Her bangs fell over her eyes, obscuring her expression, but it did nothing to hide her quivering lips and the stream of tears falling from her eyes. Upon seeing this, Histoire's anger faded instantly, her eyes widening in realization of what she'd just said, but before she could say another word, Neptune pushed past her towards the balcony, where she was engulfed in a flash of light and became a streak of purple that raced across the sky.

It all happened so fast that by the time Histoire had processed Neptune was gone, she was on the floor, reaching out her tiny hand towards the purple CPU.

"...Oh… So that's who you get your impulsiveness from..." Those were the last words Histoire said to herself before silently berating herself for her own foolish actions. With no other ideas on what to do, she floated back up, grit her teeth and screamed into the empty room of the basilicom.


	22. An Unexpected Surprise!

When Neptune finally set foot on land once more, she did not know where she was, nor did she care. She just flew off in a random direction without thinking and stopped once she started to feel tired. How fitting, then, that she should find herself in the middle of a place she'd never seen before. She looked around for a moment as her body returned to her human form.

Neptune was standing in a mountainous area on the border between Planeptune and Lowee, judging by the light snow blanketing the ground. There were gray clouds covering the sky, casting a great shadow over the land. A number of trees dotted the land, covered in the white powder and devoid of any life.

A shiver ran across the CPU's body; the cold was finally getting to her. She wrapped her arms around her body in an attempt to keep herself warm. Looking around, she spotted the entrance to some sort of cave off in the distance, so she made her way towards it without hesitation. It was a major slog to get there with all the snow slowing her down, but she managed to get inside and take shelter from the cold… Come to find out, that cave had led her to the entrance of an unknown dungeon.

Neptune looked around, observing the dungeon in question. It looked like some sort of old ruins; probably even had some treausre hidden inside, but the CPU didn't care about that right now.

Neptune took a step forward inside the area, descending down a ramp of sorts leading to an open, square room with a single door leading further inside. The sound of grumbling could be heard from further within; Neptune was not alone. Her eyes flickered with an unseen emotion as a katana materialized in her hands. She drew the blade from its sheath and trudged on through the door to meet whatever unfortunate beast lived inside.

"Wait… Was that..."

Unbeknownst to the pair of eyes watching from above, the CPU walked to the next room where she was greeted by a snarling Fenrir baring its fangs at the short-statured CPU. On any other day, Neptune might have actually been intimidated by the beast's feral demeanor, but right now she couldn't care less. The beast got ready to roar again, but right as it opened its maw a katana was shoved down its throat before its head came flying off and it burst into light along with the rest of its body, disappearing from the world.

As soon as the beast was dead, Neptune continued to walk forward. This new room had branching paths, so she just picked one at random and walked through it with her sword still by her side. The monsters she found in the next room all suffered the same fate as the Fenrir and were torn apart with great ease. Yet, due to her carelessness, Neptune received a small cut on her cheek. Even then, she didn't care.

The CPU destroyed countless monsters one after another, and yet despite all this, she still had the same hollow look in her eyes as when she'd walked into the dungeon. She didn't even pay much attention to her surroundings, only moving forward like a mindless zombie in search of something she would never find. She gained more cuts and scrapes as she progressed through the dungeon and more monsters began to show up, until finally, she'd reached what must have been the heart of the pseudo-labyrinth.

Just as before she walked forward without a second thought. Now if only she had noticed the monster rearing back it's mighty axe as she walked through the door…

"Lady Neptune, look out!"

The sound of a steel clashing against steel reverberated throughout the room. Neptune looked back to see the redhead adventuress, Falcom, crossing swords with an axe-toting Lizardman. The CPU ended up taking a step back in surprise, having clearly not realized how close she must have been to a terrible injury. She was given little time to think on that however, as another, much larger and far more intimidating Lizardman covered in spikes crashed through the wall across from the door with a booming roar.

Falcom quickly ended her deadlock with the smaller of the two, cutting it to ribbons with great ease. She quickly jumped in front of the purple CPU with her sword at the ready as her other foe disappeared into a stream of light.

"Are you all right, Lady Neptune?" asked Falcom, voice full of concern.

Neptune blinked in surprise a few times before she found her tongue. "Y-Yeah, I'm fine..."

The redheaded Falcom cast a glance over her shoulder at the CPU, her eyes widening as she saw Neptune was cut all over. Another roar brought her attention back to the towering Lizardman as it reared its axe to strike. Falcom quickly reacted by dashing forward and cutting at its arm before the beast had a chance to strike. Much to her dismay its arm remained intact, but she at least succeeded in stopping its attack.

"I'm afraid I can't waste any time with you right now," Falcom muttered at the beast. The behemoth tried to slam down its arm in hopes of crushing the redhead, but she simply jumped on top of it and ran up to its head and cut its eye, leaving it half blinded. It roared in pain, trying to shake Falcom off, but she anchored herself by stabbing her sword down on the beast's bicep, eliciting another pained roar.

The beast shook and bucked around, causing a great deal of destruction to the ruins around it. Falcom directed her worried gaze over to Neptune as debris began flying around. The CPU in question was knocked back by the force of the monster's rampage, setting off all the alarm bells in her head.

"Lady Neptune!" With the severity of the situation, Falcom quickly jumped off the beast's arm, making a beeline for the Goddess of Planeptune. A stray piece of rubble ended flying off and grazed her leg, causing some light bleeding. The redhead winced from the pain, but she powered through it, grabbing Neptune and running out of the collapsing room in search of someplace safe. She didn't once look back to the beast that had been causing so much trouble, but when its howling was silenced by the sound of rubble crashing, followed by a loud splat, it was obvious she didn't have to.

It wasn't long until things began to calm down and the ruins stopped shaking altogether. The adventuress skidded to a halt, allowing herself a quick glance back now that the coast looked clear. Sure enough, a large portion of the ruins had collapsed in on itself, blocking off all would-be explorers. And while Falcom did show visible signs of distaste at this situation she quickly returned her attention to the CPU slung over her shoulder.

The redhead was quick to set down the Goddess and even quicker to get a better look at her injuries. "My gosh… You don't look so good, Lady Neptune. What happened to you?" Falcom did not receive a reply; Neptune seemed to be more interested by the rocks on the ground than the person who'd just saved her. This worried Falcom, but the redhead didn't say anything more, opting to take out some medical supplies from her inventory. "Here. I'll this should fix you right up. It might sting a bit, but just bear with it."

Finally, Neptune looked up to meet Falcom's eyes, nodding her head at her friend. The redhead offered her a calm smile in response before she quickly got to work on Neptune's injuries. Falcom wrapped some healing grass around any open wounds, eliciting a wince from the CPU, but nothing more than that. Any minor wounds were cleaned up a bit, and as an added measure, Falcom gave her CPU a healing drink.

Neptune gratefully accepted the drink and guzzled it down in an instant. "Guh..." Although she almost threw it all up immediately after.

"Yeah, I don't think I'll ever get used to the taste either, but it's does get the job done," Falcom gibed, throwing the empty bottle into her inventory. She stood up and reached down a hand to the purple CPU. "Can you walk?"

"Yeah..." Neptune replied, taking the redhead's hand. She stood up and dusted herself off a bit before giving Falcom a worried, and somewhat curious expression, until she noticed the girl's leg and grimaced at the sight of blood trailing down and staining her socks. "You're hurt..."

Falcom gave the CPU a puzzled look before looking down at her leg. Much to Neptune's surprise, Falcom only looked mildly annoyed by the wound before reaching for more healing grass. "That explains why my leg started feeling kind of numb. Oh well, it's nothing to worry about." For what it's worth, Falcom handled the sting of the healing grass a lot better than Neptune did, barely even showing any reaction to the medical grass and cleaning the blood from her leg. "That should be good for now. Anyway, I think it might be best if we get out of here."

"I'm sorry," Neptune meekly cut in, earning a surprised look from Falcom.

"You don't need to worry about it," Falcom offered, "It's not your fault, after all. Besides, you're in much worse shape than I am. You really need to be more careful, Lady Neptune. I'm sure Histoire and Nepgear would be really upset if something happened to you."

Neptune clenched her fist upon hearing both her oracle and sister's names. Falcom was quick to pick up on it and just as fast to apologize.

"Oh. I'm sorry. Did something happen between you guys?" Neptune slowly nodded her head in confirmation. "I see. I'm sorry to hear that." The redhead sighed aloud as she slung her violin case over her shoulder. It was unclear how she'd managed to carry that with her this entire time, but that's beside the point. "We should probably get going soon. I don't know if there are any other monsters lurking around, but I don't want to stick around to find out."

Neptune stared at the redhead, thoroughly puzzled. "You're… not gonna ask?" She questioned the redhead curiously.

"I don't like to pry into other people's business. I just figured you didn't want to talk about it," Falcom explained, "But if you ever want to talk, then I'm all ears. For now I say we get to somewhere safe. I wanted to try exploring around these ruins a bit, but I guess that's not happening anytime soon."

"Oh… Sorry about that," Neptune offered meekly. She quickly was met with a calm and reassuring smile from her friend once more.

"Don't worry about it," Falcom reiterated. "I doubt there was anything interesting here anyway, so it's really no big deal. Besides, there are plenty of other dungeons I've been meaning to explore anyway."

"Are you sure it's okay?" Neptune asked again, only to be met with the same response.

"Of course I'm sure," Falcom stated with a sense of finality. Not wanting to drag this out any longer, she took Neptune by the hand and gently pulled her along. "Come on. There should be a village nearby; we can take a break there. And who knows, maybe it'll help take your mind off of things."

"...Okay." Neptune agreed to Falcom's request, finally finding a genuine, honest-to-goodness smile for the redhead adventurer. That alone was enough to reinvigorate the redhead's spirit.

"There you go. You look much better when you smile, Lady Neptune."

"Thanks, Falcom," Neptune mumbled, a light shade of pink gracing her cheeks.

 **-~-~-~- _Purple Lovers_ -~-~-~-**

"I wonder if it'd be okay for me to try out one of these games," Nepgear mumbled to herself, staring intently at row full of various different games stocked on one of Vert's many shelves. They all encompassed a wide variety of genres, making it all the harder to choose from them. And don't even get Nepgear started on all the games Vert had downloaded on her computer. "Hm… Maybe I'll try this one."

After a few minutes of scanning the shelf, Nepgear picked one out from all the- oh, no… Poor Nepgear didn't at all know what she was in for.

"Drive to Heck: Tribulation?" She said the name aloud, completely unaware of the horror that awaited her. "What a silly name. Looks like it's a biker game." After checking out the little description on the back, Nepgear trotted over to Vert's console, turned it on and slid the disc into the console, but as fate would have it, her N-Gear sprang to life, momentarily scaring Nepgear for a brief moment before she collected herself. "It was just my N-Gear is all..." She exhaled, prying her attention away from the game she'd just inserted.

She didn't know it at the time, but that call had saved her from a truly terrible game. That aside, she reached into her pocket and took out her precious N-Gear, surprised by the name of her caller. After a simple click she held the device to her ear and greeted her caller with a, "Hello, Histoire?"

" _Ah, Nepgear!"_ Histoire called from the other end.

"Yes. Did something happen?" Nepgear asked.

" _Well… Your sister, she..."_

"Neptune?" Nepgear immediately stiffened up at the mention of her sister. It didn't help that Histoire sounded like she was having trouble just talking about it. "Did something happen to her? Is she hurt?"

" _No, no, nothing of the sort… Well, I suppose she is, in a way..."_

"What do you mean, Histoire?" Nepgear inquired.

" _You see, I… I..."_

"What happened, Histoire?!" Nepgear repeated, a little more impatiently this time. "Is Neptune hurt?"

" _No, not physically. At least, I hope not."_ As the fairy continued on, her voice seemed to fall in volume. _"I… I went through a bit of a lapse in judgement and ended up saying something terrible to her. She transformed and flew out the window before I could even try to apologize. I do not know where she went off to, though."_

"Say what?!" Nepgear shrieked. It wouldn't be surprising if one of the basilicom workers heard her, or even Chika for that matter. "W-Why?! What did you do?!" Nepgear grit her teeth, realizing she was starting to get a little too heated in this discussion. She took a deep breath before continuing. "Histoire, what happened? Do you have any idea where she flew off to?"

" _I am not entirely sure, but it looked as if she headed north, towards Lowee."_

"I see..." Nepgear sighed, clutching her handheld device to her chest. "Neptune…" In a rare moment for the candidate, Nepgear scowled, unsure of who to direct her anger towards. Inwardly, she wanted to scream at Histoire, even though she knew full well that wouldn't solve anything. "I'll see if I can find her." She said, finally picking her device up again.

" _I wish you good luck… And… I'm sorry..."_

"I'm not the one you should be saying that to," Nepgear replied, a thin layer of ice lacing her words. "I don't know what you said to her, Histoire, but I do know that Neptune loves and respects you very dearly, even if she doesn't show it. So, please, apologize to her as soon as you can. Not for my sake, but for Neptune's."

" _...I understand. Please, bring her back safely."_

"I will." Nepgear didn't even hesitate in here response. "I have to go. I'll bring her back as soon as I can."

" _Thank you, Nepgear."_

"Good bye." With another click the call ended. She stared at her device for a good few seconds, a single thought dominating her thoughts. "Just what did you say to her, Histoire?" The oracle had never once sounded as forlorn as she did on that call, Nepgear noted. "On second thought, I don't think I actually _want_ to know."

"Nepgear, is something wrong?" A voice the candidate recognized as Vert asked; the blonde's head peeking through the door. Chika followed suit, staring curiously at the purple candidate. "I heard screaming. Did something happen?"

"I don't want to get into the details, but apparently Neptune ran away from the basilicom."

"Say what?" Chika wailed. "What happened?! Do you know where she went?!"

"Histoire said she flew north, so she's probably somewhere close to Lowee by now," Nepgear answered quickly. "I hope she's okay."

"Don't worry, Nepgear," Vert chimed in. "We will do whatever we can to help you find her. She is… Neptune is my friend, so I can't leave her alone in this situation." Vert's cheeks became dusted with a light shade of pink, going unnoticed by Nepgear. Chika, on the other hand, saw it as clear as day, smirking at the green CPU. "Neptune is a strong one, so I'm sure she's fine. She won't go down so easily."

"I know, but..." Nepgear trailed off, looking up at the roof. "I still worry about her."

"If you're that worries, then we'd better get moving," Chika suggested. "The sooner we find her, the sooner you can stop worrying, right?"

Nepgear smiled. "Right."

"By the way, were you playing a game?"

"Oh, yes! I hope you don't mind."

"No worries, I guess."

"What game did you pick, Nepgear dear?"

"Oh, I think it was... Drive To Heck: Tribulation, or something like that."

"Oh, my..."

"It's a good thing we showed up when we did, then."

"Why?"

"Oh, you don't need to worry about that."

"Yeah, let's just go find your sister."

"O... Okay..."


	23. The Next Step Forward!

"I know I said I'd go out and find her, but..." Nepgear looked around and grimaced. "I think I might be lost..." She muttered, hanging her head in defeat. She tried to look around for any clue as to where she was, but the problem with that was that being stuck above a giant, expansive forest made it pretty difficult to get a good handle on where you've already been. "...Maybe I should just check my map and see if that helps..."

Just as she was about to open the map app on her N-Gear, the device began to shake and ring, taking the purplette by surprise. She was so surprised, in fact, that she momentarily dropped her phone, but thankfully, she was able to retrieve it before it plunged to the ground below. Unlike her sister's skull, the device was not nearly sturdy enough to survive a fall from such a height.

After breathing a sigh of relief, the candidate answered the phone. "Hello?"

" _Ah, Lady Nepgear! It's me, Falcom!"_

"Falcom?" Nepgear repeated aloud, her expression shifting to one of surprise. "I haven't heard from you in a while."

" _Yeah, I guess it has been some time since we last talked, hasn't it?"_

"It really has," Nepgear agreed, however, she knew that she didn't have any time to waste on idle chit-chat. She could always apologize to the redhead later, but right now she needed to find Neptune ASAP. "As much as I'd like to catch up, I have other things to worry about right now."

" _You mean like how Lady Neptune's not at the basilicom?"_

"My sister ran away from the basili… Wait, how did you know?!" Nepgear asked, her body shifting back in surprise.

" _Because I ran into her in a dungeon a while ago."_

"Wait, what?!" Nepgear shrieked, eyes widening in surprise and worry. "Dungeon?! Is… Is she okay?!"

" _Well, when I found her she was pretty banged up. I did what I could to tend to her wounds, but I think that's the least of our problems."_

"What do you mean by that?"

" _Well… I'm not entirely sure what happened between you guys, but it looks like she's pretty hung up about it. She has perked up a bit, but it looks like whatever happened is still really bothering her. I'd pass you over to her, but I really think you should talk to her in person."_

"I… I understand," Nepgear replied. "Tell me, where are you right now?"

" _We're staying at a place close to the border between Planeptune and Lowee. It's called the Hotel Rafflesia in Three Ring Village."_

Realization struck Nepgear upon hearing that name. "I know where that is! I think that's not too far from where I am right now." Finally, things were beginning to look up for the purple candidate. "If it's not too much trouble, please keep an eye on my sister; I'll be there as fast as I can!"

" _No problem. I'm happy to help in any way I can."_

"Thank you so much for this, Falcom. I'm on my way!" Nepgear quickly hung up the call, hastily going through her map application to check where she was relative to the village Falcom and Neptune were currently staying. Sure enough, it wasn't very far away from her current location. "Thank goodness. I need to call Vert and Ms. Chika and let them know."

 **-~-~-~- _Purple Lovers_ -~-~-~-**

In the place known as the Three Ring Village, there were many places of interest. One in particular was a small hotel complex in which a certain redhead and purplette found themselves staying in. Falcom stood next to the window, peering out curiously while Neptune sat on the lone bed in the room, opening up a delicious cup of pudding.

"Huh… I don't remember that shop being here the last time I visited," Falcom muttered to herself, transfixed by an interesting place from across the street.

"Do you come here often?" Neptune asked in between eating spoonfuls of pudding.

"Not really, no," Falcom answered promptly. "When you move around as much as I do you tend to visit a lot of different places. Of course, that also comes with the drawback of not being able to remember some of the sights you see, but I swear that shop wasn't there before."

"Maybe you're just remembering it wrong?" Neptune suggested.

"I guess," sighed Falcom.

"By the way," Neptune started, "Are you sure this is okay?" She asked, tugging at the blue jacket she currently had on, before giving her skirt the same treatment. The CPU's new attire was identical to what Falcom was wearing in every way, although it was a little big for Neptune's smaller frame. "Not that there's anything wrong with your fashion sense, but..."

"We've been over this," interrupted the adventuress, turning back around to face the CPU. "Your clothes got pretty ripped up in that dungeon, so you can't very well walk around with it on," The redhead finished concisely. "I always make sure to carry some spare clothes with me anyway, so you can just give it back later."

"Do you always carry spares around with you?" Neptune inquired.

"You never know when you'll need it. And considering all the shipwrecks I've been a part of, it's definitely come in handy on more than one occasion," Falcom stated proudly, patting her own jacket to accentuate the point.

"I guess… Hey, speaking of that dungeon, what were you doing there?"

"Oh, that?" A smile graced Falcom's lips as she cast a glance over her shoulder at the window. "Well, you know me; I've always loved a good adventure. I caught wind that there was a new dungeon with some strong monsters lurking around, so I just had to check it out. I didn't expect it to be hiding behind a giant wall, though. Of course, I didn't expect to run into you there either, Lady Neptune."

"You know you don't have to be so formal with me, right?" Neptune added cheekily.

"Yeah, but that wouldn't feel right," Falcom countered. "You're a Goddess, I don't think I can get used to calling you by name like that."

"Aw shucks," Neptune blushed lightly, holding her cheeks in the manner of an excited schoolgirl. "I'm not that great… Well, maybe a little."

Seeing the Goddess starting to look more chipper, Falcom couldn't help but smile to herself. It really didn't seem right if Neptune wasn't happy and smiling like she always does.

Falcom was about to open her mouth to say something, thoroughly enjoying her conversation with the purple CPU, when something out of the corner of her eye demanded her attention. She glanced over to the window and noticed what looked like a tiny, almost unnoticeable purple dot in the sky. Seeing this, she smiled, though curiosity filled her eyes when she noticed that there was a second green dot not too far behind the purple one.

"Huh… You didn't tell me you were bringing company," Falcom muttered under her breath.

"You say something, Falcy?" Neptune asked her redheaded friend.

"Oh, I just thought I saw something off in the sky just now." Falcom answered.

"Ooh, what'd you see?"

"You'll see."

"...Huh?"

Falcom paid no heed to Neptune's now bewildered expression as she stretched her arms over her head. "Well, I think I'm gonna head downstairs for a little bit and grab something to eat. You want anything, Lady Neptune?"

"Hm… There's a ramen stand close to here, isn't there?"

"Say no more," Falcom declared as she made her way to the door. "I'll get right on it."

"Thanks, Falcom," uttered Neptune. The redhead kindly responded with a simple smile before walking out the door, leaving Neptune alone with only her pudding as company. "Suck it, Noire! You may have more followers, but mine are way cooler and nicer!" Neptune gloated to herself before finishing off her pudding.

A content smile crossed the CPU's features as she ate the last bite of the sweet confection. With the cup empty, she stood up and promptly went to throw it away. Seeing nothing else to do, the Goddess' eyes shifted to the television as she grabbed a nearby remote and decided to while away some time by turning it on and flipping to a random channel. She quickly became engrossed in the happenings of the show that she almost didn't notice the sound of the door opening some minutes later. Once it registered in the CPU's mind, she moved to greet Falcom back and get a progress report on that ramen… Come to find out…

"Neptune!" Falcom wasn't the one barging into the room. Instead, Neptune found herself being tackled to the bed by none other than her beloved Nepgear. "I was so worried about you! Histoire called me while I was at Leanbox and told me about how you two got in a fight and then you disappeared! Then Falcom called me and told me what happened and I was so scared that I didn't know what to do! I'm so glad you're okay!"

"Guh..." Was all Neptune could muster to say in response. "Crushing… Need air..."

"Oh!" It was then that Nepgear finally seemed to notice the effect of her hug was having on Neptune, prompting her to let go and allowing her sister the air she so desperately needed.

"Haaaaaaa! Ow..."

"I'm sorry… I got a little carried away when I saw you," Nepgear apologized.

It should go without saying then, that Neptune should have been happy to see Nepgear again, but given the situation they were in… "...Hey, Nepgear..." Neptune greeted in a quiet voice. "I thought you were in Leanbox…?"

Nepgear stared at the purple CPU for a moment before answering. "I was, but after I got a call from Histoire I dropped everything to come find you… I probably wouldn't have left with Vert if I had known Histoire- no, both of you, would take it so badly."

"..."

"...Neptune?" Nepgear began, "Are you really okay?" She asked, voice filled with concern. "I...don't know what Histoire said to you, but you can talk to me about it, if you want."

"No..." Neptune began, her voice cracking ever so slightly. "She was right, after all… I am a total failure."

"Neptune..." Nepgear shifted back in surprise. "Don't talk like that..."

"It's true, though..." The CPU's gaze shifted to the floor.

"Neptune, look at me." Nepgear gave her sister no say in the matter as she gently cupped her face and forced her to lock eyes with the candidate. The CPU's eyes shone with a rare vulnerability that was almost never present there before. "I know you've done some stupid things before, but you've already shown me that you feel remorseful about it. You even said you wanted to make up for it, didn't you?"

"I know, and I did mean it when I said that. It just… It hurt when Histy said all of those things, you know?"

"I know… Well, I guess I don't really know," Nepgear corrected, "But I'm sure she didn't mean it."

"Sure felt like she meant it," Neptune spat out.

"Oh, Neptune..." Nepgear reached for her sister's hand and clasping it with her own, giving it a gentle squeeze. "You know Histoire. She loves you, and would never say something so cruel for no reason. I'm sure she just let her emotions get the better of her; she sounded so sorry over the phone."

"..."

"I'm not going to defend whatever she said, but you and I both know her better than anyone. She's been with us since we were born, so we can at least hear her out. Please just talk to her, that's all I ask" Nepgear urged, leaning closer to Neptune. "She's still waiting for us back at the basilicom."

"Are you…" Neptune stopped for a moment, breathing in before she continued. "Are you gonna go back to Leanbox when we're done?"

Nepgear didn't reply immediately. There was a moment where she had to stop to scratch her cheek as she suddenly found the different décor of the hotel room very interesting. "...Well, I… I'm not sure anymore," Nepgear finally said. "I'd have to talk to Histoire before I do anything about that. Although, I guess I should have talked to her before I went with Vert to see Ms. Chika."

"...Stupid."

"...H-Huh?" Nepgear blinked in surprise. "W-What?"

"I need you here with me," Neptune elaborated. "Forget Histy, I'm the one who's really mad!" Neptune locked eyes with the candidate, her eyes showing signs of renewed vigor, though not in a way Nepgear, or perhaps even Neptune had expected. "I get that you're worried about us and all, but you just left me there by myself. You said you did it for the sake of us, but my heart doesn't feel right if you're not around. I don't want you to be Leanbox's Candidate, I want you here with me!"

Nepgear winced, pulling her hand back with a conflicted look on her face. "And I thought I was the clingy one," said the candidate in a joking manner. She smirked a little at her sister's adorable pouty face. After a short bout of chuckling she held her hands up in defense to try and calm Neptune down a bit. "I'm joking."

"Hm… Well, I guess you're not _entirely_ wrong about that," Neptune admitted. "I'm still not okay with you going back to Leanbox, though."

"…"

"..."

"...Hey, Neptune?"

"What is it, Nepgear?"

"Would you really miss me that much if I left again?"

"Do you even need to ask? Of course I would."

"..."

"You still want to go?"

"I don't really know anymore," Nepgear sighed. "I've told myself dozens of times that I need to become more independent, but I'm not really sure what I can do right now, so… I think it'd be for the best if I left this to you and Vert."

Neptune's eyes widened slightly with an almost disbelieving stare directed at Nepgear, almost as if she couldn't quite believe what she'd just heard. She had to blink a few times before the words finally seemed to register. "You… You really mean that?" She asked hopefully.

"Of course!" Nepgear answered without hesitation. "I shouldn't have tried to make this decision by myself to begin with. I don't want to repeat that mistake, so… I'll leave this up to you and Vert to decide. That way we can come up with a decision we can all agree o- Mmmph!"

Just as Nepgear was finishing her sentence, Neptune darted forward, locking lips with the shocked siscon. Unfortunately, for as adorable as the scene was, Neptune had to pull away almost instantly since she had bonked heads with the girl, but the sentiment had gotten through… Probably.

"Ow..."

"Owie… Heheh, sorry about that," Neptune chuckled awkwardly as she rubbed her forehead. "But, um… Just to be sure, you're really okay with this, right? I don't want you turning around and suddenly changing your mind about this, you hear?"

"I promise I won't." Nepgear didn't waste a beat with her reply. Even through the pain of bonking heads, she managed a smile before her gaze slowly trailed downwards at her sister's clothes. "By the way… What happened to your sweater?"

Neptune stopped for a second to look down at her clothes, having probably forgotten what she was wearing before a look of recognition formed. "Oh! It kind of got torn up while I was in that dungeon, so Falcom lent me a spare of her clothes."

"She carries spares around with her?"

"Apparently it helps when you have terrible luck with ships."

"I see. I wonder how she survives all those storms any-" The sound of grumbling cut Nepgear off from her train of thought. The candidate couldn't help but chuckle as Neptune's face lit up in embarrassment. "I guess there's an even bigger storm going on in your stomach, Neptune." The Candidate's teasing earned her a pout from her beloved older sister as the CPU got up from where she sat and walked to the door; only after switching off the TV, of course. "Oh! Neptune, wait up! I just wanted to tease you a little."

The Planeptune Goddess paid her sister no heed as she left the room and descended the stairs with her cheeks puffed out and arms crossed in front of her. Nepgear followed shortly behind the CPU, sighing to herself before shifting back to a smile. She kissed her sister on the cheek to try and appease her beloved, but was pushed away by the CPU, leaving them to walk in silence. It only took a minute or so for the two to make it to the bottom floor where the two were met by not only the presence of Falcom waiting for them, but also a blonde, busty CPU known as Vert and her oracle, Chika.

Neptune froze in place once her eyes settled on the green CPU. The Leanbox Goddess turned around soon after as Neptune's presence settled in her peripheral vision. Falcom looked as if she had been about to wave Neptune over, but seemingly stopped once she saw the look she was giving Vert. As a result, all she ended up doing was looking back and forth between the two before Chika stepped in.

"Look, I know this is probably a little sudden, but just know that those two are in the middle of a complicated situation," The oracle explained to the confused adventurer in a whisper. Falcom looked to her with curiosity, to which Chika sighed. "I'll tell you all about it later, okay?" Falcom could only nod in acceptance.

"Neptune."

"Vert."

After what seemed like ages, the two CPUs finally spoke. Their voices both came out calm and collected, neither betraying any emotion they might have felt towards each other in that moment.

"Good to see you're still in one piece, Neptune."

"I'm not gonna go down to simple monsters in a dungeon."

"I should expect not from one such as yourself."

"Definitely..."

"...How was your talk with Nepgear?"

"We decided that you and I should be the ones to decide things."

"I see. I suppose you and I do have a lot to talk about."

"I guess we do."

"..."

"..."

Silence befell the two CPUs once more. One could almost be forgiven for thinking they were having the most intense game of poker just based on how little emotion either party displayed. Falcom herself took a look around and noticed that Neptune and Vert's staring contest was making the hotel staff feel more than a little uneasy. As a result, Falcom took a step forward, interrupting the two Goddesses.

"Ahem!" Falcom cleared her throat before casting a calm smile towards her CPU. "Sorry to interrupt, but the ramen stand's waiting for us, Lady Neptune. There's a sushi place nearby and a sweets shop, too."

"...Oh!" The response from Neptune was almost instantaneous. She zoomed forward to Falcom's side with a small trail of drool trailing down the side of her lips as everyone watched on in astonishment of the CPU's hunger. "Do they have tea?" Neptune asked excitedly.

"Definitely."

"Yes!" Neptune cheered aloud. She wasted no time making her way towards the door, her friends almost completely forgotten before suddenly, she came to a screeching halt. She stayed there for a moment, as if she was debating something or another with herself, earning her a bunch of curious looks from her friends until she finally turned back around and locked eyes with Falcom. She walked up to the redhead adventurer with a serious expression and said, "I know I already said this before, but… Thanks, Falcom. You're a good friend."

"..." Falcom blinked as the words settled in. Unsure of what else to do, she just smiled and accepted it. "Don't mention it. I'm sure you'd do the same for me."

"Still, I really can't thank you enough, and I don't know when I'll get another chance, so..." The group watched on with great interest as the purple CPU grabbed Falcom's shoulder and, much to the group's shared surprise...

"Huh…?" She leaned in and gave Falcom a kiss on the cheek. "HUH?!" Much to Nepgear's shock and dismay.

"...L-Lady Neptune?" Falcom sputtered out after a moment's silence.

The CPU offered a cheeky grin and laugh to the redhead's surprise. "Just wanted to show my appreciation is all. What you did really meant a lot to me, you know." Neptune stuck her tongue out playfully before returning her attention back to the outside world.

"My, I can't say I was expecting that," Vert chimed in. "Things would be so much easier if she'd ended up with Falcom instead," She whispered under her breath, going unheard by the group at large. "Now, what's this about ramen? I am starting to feel a bit famished myself."

"Wha? Oh, right. There's a little stand nearby that serving ramen and some other stuff. You're welcome to come join us if you want, Lady Vert. Oh, and you, too, Lady Chika," Falcom politely offered.

"That does sound tempting. Very well, I shall join you."

"If my darling is going, then I'll come, too."

"Great. What about you, Nep...gear?" Falcom blinked again. Nepgear was standing as stiff as a rock. Her mouth hung slightly ajar while her bangs fell over her eyes, masking her expression. Not a very welcoming sight to be sure. "Um… Nepgear?"

"Oh… Sure, I'll join you," Nepgear eerily intoned. "Heheh...heh..."

"Uh… Okay. Let's get going, then." Without uttering another word, Falcom turned and followed after the energetic purple CPU, trying to ignore Nepgear's odd behavior. However, with the feeling of Nepgear's eyes on her, she looked to Vert for answers. "Hey, Lady Vert?" Falcom began in a hushed tone, leaning closer to the green CPU. "Is Nepgear all right?"

"Oh, that? She and Neptune started dating recently, so she's probably just a little jealous."

"I see, I see… Wait, what?!"

"Yes, I had a hard time believing that myself, but it did happen. Though, I must say..." Vert cast a quick glance back at Nepgear before returning to Falcom. "I never took her for the jealous type."

"Do I even want to-"

"It's probably for the best if you keep your eyes forward."

"Got it..."

"She just… Kissed her… Neptune just...kissed her...on the cheek... **_Falcom_**..."

"Did anyone else feel a chill up their spine just now?"


	24. The Decision Is Made!

"Phwah! I'm stuffed!" With a satisfied sigh, Neptune stretched her arms over her head. She and her group all made their way out of the sweets shop and stepped out into the fresh evening air of the outside world. They all stopped to enjoy the sky's newly dyed orange hue. "The ramen was great. The sushi was mouth-watering. The tea was simmered to perfection and served in a cup of absolute bliss."

"Perhaps you should try auditioning for a play some time, Neptune," Vert chimed in. "You seem to have a natural talent for making even the most mundane things seem interesting. If you play your cards right, you could even make it to Leanway someday."

"Hm… I'll consider it," said Neptune. "Anyway, that's not important right now. We've got something else to take care of, don't we?" She turned back to the group with a determined expression. She almost burst out into a giggle fit upon seeing Nepgear giving Falcom the stink eye, but she held herself back for the time being. "I guess...we should head back to my basilicom," Neptune said with a bit of hesitance present in her voice.

Nepgear was quick to notice Neptune's shift in mood and quickly took to her side, where she held onto her sister's hand. The soothing feeling of her sister's hand on her own calmed her considerably, even more so when she noticed that Nepgear was casting a few glances over at Falcom.

"So, shall we get going to Planeptune's basilicom, then?" Vert chimed in. "It would be rude of us to keep Histoire waiting any longer."

"Yeah, I hear ya," Neptune added casually. "Let's go Nepgear."

"Oh! R-Right!"

With that said, the group of CPUs transformed one after another while Chika and Falcom watched on from the sidelines. The sudden appearance of three CPUs all in one place also caught the attention of plenty of nearby bystanders, many of whom seemed to have taken an opportunity to take pictures with their phones, taking videos and the like.

"Let us be on our way," said Vert, calmly ducking as Chika tried to jump on her back like a monkey. The green CPU made sure to pick her up after her face collided with the ground before beginning her ascent.

Neptune and Nepgear quickly followed her lead and floated upwards, waving at the gathering crowd. "I thank you again for your help, Falcom! Don't hesitate to call me should you ever need my assistance."

"Sure thing," Falcom replied. "I'll see you around Lady Neptune, and you, too Nepgear!"

"R-Right! See you around, Falcom," Nepgear replied. She had attempted to sound courteous, but a slight hint of something else slipped into her voice when she spoke to the redhead, causing the adventuress to back away a little. "Come on, Neptune! Let's go already!"

"You certainly seem eager to get a move on," Purple Heart responded coolly. "Very well." The CPU directed her gaze down to the crowd of people. "We shall be off now! I thank you all for taking care of me! I may return to this town sometime in the future, so stay safe until then!"

The crowd of people were silent at first, but as her words set in, they all started to cheer for their CPU for a proper send-off. The purple Goddess smiled contently to herself as she took Nepgear by the hand, surprising her as she finally took off. She graced her people with one last wave as she and her entourage disappeared into the reddening sky.

"Here's hoping everything goes well with Histoire," Falcom muttered to herself amidst the crowd of people. "Still…" She lifted a hand to her cheek. "What was all that about?"

"Hey, sis… Err, Neptune, I mean."

"Hm? What is it, Nepgear?" Purple Heart asked curiously.

"Um… If you don't mind me asking… I mean, I hope I'm not being nosy or anything, but..." The Candidate paused as she thought over her words a bit more before finally continuing, "Why did you kiss Falcom like that?"

"Oh, that? A CPU should be ready to show gratitude to the one who saved them, shouldn't they, Nepgear?"

"...I agree, but… Why are you looking at me like that?"

"Looking at you like what, Nepgear?"

"Y-You weren't just doing that to mess with me, were you?"

"What could possibly give you that idea?"

"Why are you still making that face?!"

"Yes."

"That's not a proper answer!"

"Yes."

"Neptune!"

"Nepgear."

"Neptuuuuuuune!

"Nepgear."

"Gaaahh!"

"Well they certainly look like they're having fun," Vert mused to herself after a glance to the two purple siblings. "I suppose I have my work cut out for me on this one."

"Do not worry, sister dear! I will be right by your side should negotiations fail!"

"Why are you smiling at the idea of failure, Chika?"

"No reason."

 **-~-~-~- _Purple Lovers_ -~-~-~-**

"You know, there's something oddly amusing about hearing you scream my name like that, Nepgear," Purple Heart teased as she slowly set foot back on her basilicom's balcony. "Huh… Maybe I've been spending too much time with Plutia lately..."

"Y-You're not going to start acting like her are you?" asked Nepgear.

Neptune shivered at the thought. "Don't even joke about that!" Purple Heart quickly defended. "I don't even want to think about that!"

Vert sighed. "Don't keep us waiting, Neptune," said the green CPU. A light surrounded her body for a moment and as it died down, she had reverted to her human form. "Histoire is waiting for you."

"I know that," responded Purple Heart. She followed her fellow Goddess' lead and returned to her own human form, as did Nepgear before casting a glance at the door leading inside. Her expression became one of apprehension as thoughts of her previous fight with the fairy found their way back into her head.

At this point, everyone had probably expected Neptune to voice her disdain for the situation once more, but to the group's shared surprise, she walked through the door without saying another word. Nepgear followed shortly behind the shorter purplette, looking very worried and for good reason.

The two sisters purple walked in to see the room looking the same as always. And just like any other day, Histoire was floating around before coming to a halt upon seeing the purple-haired Neptune. Unlike those other days, her expression was much more whist than what either sisters were used to. She silently stared at Neptune for what must have felt like hours – in reality, minutes – until she finally mustered the courage to open her mouth and actually talk to the girl.

"Hello, Neptune," greeted the oracle. "I'm… I'm glad to see you're doing okay."

"Well, you know me," Neptune started, her expression unchanging. "I won't go down that easily. I've taken more damage from falling than I have from monsters anyway." Though, Neptune couldn't see it, Nepgear blinked in surprise at the comment. If one actually sat down to think on it… Neptune was probably right about that.

"I suppose that is true," agreed Histoire. "The memory loss is something we could do without, however..." Neptune only blinked in response to Histoire's failed attempt to lighten the mood, her expression eerily calm. The fairy shrank away from the CPU – if that was even possible, given her already tiny size – shifting to a more serious tone. "...I suppose I am not very good with humor, either… Ahem!"

Taking the moment to clear her throat, Histoire moved closer to the purple CPU, earning her a raised eyebrow as a result. Much to the whole group's surprise, she leaned forward and placed a hand on Neptune bigger one with her eyes glued to the floor, offering the most sincere apology she could muster.

"I am sorry for what I said to you before, Neptune." Gathering her courage, the tiny oracle tilted her head to look at Neptune directly, only to be met with the makings of a scowl forming. Histoire had probably expected such a response and sighed inwardly. "I had no right in saying such terrible things to you. I found myself so caught up in the moment that I neglected how you felt and let my emotions get the better of me. I wish I knew what else to say, but for now all I can is… I'm sorry. Will you please forgive me, Neptune?"

A sniffle could be heard coming from Nepgear. The candidate fought to keep herself from tearing up at the sight of the oracle's heartfelt apology. Given this type of scene, there was only one possible way it would play out from here. And so, Neptune did exactly what anyone else would do in this situation.

"...Neptune...? Neptun-Gwah!" She slammed Histoire's tome shut, produced a roll of tape, applied it all over the book and threw it into an empty basket resembling a trash can without a second thought.

"What the goodness?!" Nepgear yelped in disbelief. "What just happened?!"

"Neptune? Neptune! What in the world are you doing?!" Histoire chided. "What did I do this time?! I was trying to apologize to you! Argh! Let me out this instant, young la-" Histoire's words quickly died with Neptune's next line.

" _That's_ how you made me feel, you know." All present in the room fell silent, save for the sound of Neptune exhaling before she continued. "I already know I've done some terrible, stupid things. But I've also been trying to do some good to make up for it, too. It hurts when people just ignore all that; it's like rubbing salt in old wounds and saying they don't believe that I can change."

"..."

"..."

Neptune pouted at her companions' silence. Perhaps it was because she was waiting for them to say something, but the purple CPU looked a bit annoyed. Noticing her sister's change in mood, Nepgear decided to act on it. She made her way closer to her sister, reaching out her hand, but instead of simply taking Neptune's in her own, she surprised the CPU by bringing her into a gentle embrace.

"Neptune, you're not trash. You can't think like that," the candidate gently whispered into her ear. "You're my sister… You're my Neptune, and I love you."

"I know that, but even still..."

"So are you saying that what I think doesn't matter?"

"What?! No! Nothing like that," Neptune fervently replied. "I just can't help it. It always feels like nobody ever wants to give me a break and it just drives me crazy sometimes!"

"...Neptune, I… I am sorry," Histoire chimed in, not one to be forgotten. "I suppose I never do think enough about how you must feel in all of this… How either of you feel, really. I hope you can forgive me for my… less than savory actions."

There was a beat, a short moment before Neptune and Nepgear looked at the book that was Histoire. Nepgear smiled as she finally let go of her, though Neptune still pouted at the book. "Well… As long as you understand, then I guess I can let it go. Just don't make me feel like a terrible person the next time you go over the edge. I feel bad enough about things as it is."

"I will keep that in mind," the book politely responded. "Now, Nepgear?"

"Oh? What is it, Histoire?" the candidate inquired.

"Well, this is for the both you, really," Histoire explained, shifting in place. "What will you do from here? I promise I will support the both of you from here on out, but I simply cannot agree with the notion of Nepgear becoming the candidate of Leanbox."

"Ah… I see," Nepgear cast a glance to her sister before going back to Histoire. "Well… We actually decided that we should all talk about the matter in more depth before we make a decision. Honestly, I'm not entirely sure of anything myself anymore."

"Do you still believe becoming Leanbox's candidate will help?" Histoire asked.

"I… A part me still does," Nepgear answered. "But there's also the other part of me that wants to stay here. It's hard for me to decide over one or the other; I don't know what to do, really." The girl looked to her feet, a look of doubt crossing her features. She was unsure of herself, that much was clear, so to help her through it, Neptune put a hand to her chin and raised the girl's face to meet her own, and offered her a small smile.

"It's fine, Nepgear. We'll figure something out."

"Neptune..."

"I hope."

"...I'll take it."

"I see… Shall I call Vert and Chika over?" Histoire interjected. She nearly gave Nepgear a heart attack when the candidate realized she was still seemingly able to move around so well while trapped in her book. Before the candidate could say anything on the matter, the blonde in question poked her head into the room, revealing her presence.

"Did I hear someone say my name?" Vert asked upon entering the room. Needless to say, but Histoire was quite surprised to see her.

"Vert? I would have thought you'd still be in Leanbox."

"Actually, I asked her to help me look for Neptune," Nepgear explained. "I was afraid I wouldn't be able to find her myself. Though, I probably wouldn't have freaked out so much if I had known she was with...Falcom." Nepgear's expression momentarily darkened at the mention of the redheaded friend, though it vanished far too quickly for anyone to notice. Anyone who's name wasn't Neptune, at least.

"I see… Then I suppose I will leave this discussion between her and Neptune."

"Wait, you're not going to say anything on the matter, Histoire?" a certain greenette asked in disbelief. It was around then that she noticed the kind of condition Histoire's book was in. "Wait, what the heck happened to your book?"

"Oh! Chika… I was unaware that you were here as well," said the tome. "Speaking of, I could use a hand getting out of this. Though, as far as this situation between Neptune and Vert goes… I believe it would be for the best if I stay out of it."

"Huh?!" Chika's eyes widened at what she'd just heard. Not only her, but everyone else in the room were taken aback by Histoire's words. "What do you mean you're leaving it to them? You're Planeptune's oracle! Surely you must have a lot to say on the matter of your nation's candidate becoming the one for another nation."

"I do, but at present I don't believe I am of the right mindset to contribute anything to that discussion. Were this any other day, I would gladly join and express my thoughts, but I shall put my trust in Neptune for now." Chika's jaw practically hit the floor. "That matter aside, I could really use some help with all this tape, if you wouldn't-"

"C'mon, Histoire! I trusted you! Unbe-freaking-lievable!"

"Ch-Chika? Could you- Chika? I can't tell where you are, but I hear footsteps. Are you going to help or- Was that the sound of the door? Excuse me? Chika? Chika please! Gracious, she is such a handful. Could somebody else help me out of this?"

"Well, there you have it, I guess," Neptune began, completely ignoring the plight of the struggling book fairy.

"Hello? I am still stuck down here!"

"I suppose we do," Vert replied. "Now seems like as good a time as any to settle this matter once and for all. Do you have any problems with that, Nepgear?"

"I know you all can hear me! Just someone help me!"

"I don't mind," Nepgear responded. "I'm still split down the middle on what to do. I'll go along with whatever you two decide." Some more rustling could be heard in the background as Histoire continued to flop around like a fish made of papers bound to a hardcover skin. "Just please promise me there won't hold it against each other when you do decide."

"But of course," Vert said.

"Fine by me," Neptune agreed.

"Anyone is fine at this point! It would only take a few seconds!"

"Let us skip the formalities, then Neptune. I have already said my piece on the matter," Vert continued, "If Nepgear becomes the candidate of Leanbox then it would help erase some problems people may have with your relationship. Granted, I cannot guarantee it would magically make everyone comfortable with the idea of it, but it would be a good start. Furthermore, it would also help to improve relations between our two nations."

"Someone please!"

"Well I don't want Nep Jr. to go!" Neptune countered.

"...Excuse me?"

"You heard me! I want Nepgear to stay here with me," Neptune repeated.

"Neptune, I have already gone over the downside to Nepgear's conversion!"

"I'm a simple girl, and as it turns out, I'm a lot more dependent on her than I thought," the purple CPU explained. "I was feeling pretty bad for a while. Falcom definitely helped me out, but you know what? I actually started to feel a whole lot better as soon as Nepgear showed up and talked to me. She had only just showed up, but just seeing her face was already cheering me up way more than a free cup of pudding. I need her with me and I'm not giving her up just like that."

"That's… awfully romantic of you," Vert said, the surprise clearly evident on her face. She glanced over to Nepgear, only to find that the girl had gone all red in the face and brought a hand up to her chest to still her beating heart. "It seems I've underestimated your resolve."

"Darn tootin'!"

"However, I am not one to back down, either," Vert countered, taking a dramatic step forward.

"I ain't changing my mind on this!"

"Then it would seem we've arrived at an impasse."

"Wait, I thought that was a mountain thing."

"What? No, it just means neither of us wishes to give the other an inch."

"Well, whatever! I ain't letting you claim _this_ mountain!"

"Oh? I already made the flag. It would be such a shame if I didn't plant it into the top."

"Why are we still going using a mountain metaphor?"

"Hush, Nepgear! The adults are negotiating."

"Right..."

As the talk of mountains that probably made no sense anymore began to calm down, the two CPUs went silent for a moment, locking eyes before they finally continued on.

"So, how do you propose we make a decision?"

"I can think of one way," Neptune muttered. She seemed to be mulling it over for a second before she smirked to herself. She leaned in closer to her fellow CPU, cupping a hand around her mouth as she whispered into Vert's ear. Nepgear had tried to listen closely to try and catch what was being said, but to no avail.

"What?!" Vert finally said as Neptune pulled back. "You can't tell me you're serious about this!"

"Oh, I'm dead serious, Verty! I challenge you to a duel! Winner takes Nepgear"

"Wait, a duel?!" Nepgear asked, flabbergasted. "Y-You mean like a card game on a motorcycle?!"

"What- No, not that kind of duel, Nepgear," Vert interjected at the candidate's odd question. "This is a different kind of duel. As a matter of fact, this won't even be the first time Neptune has challenged me like this," the green CPU explained before she took on a more serious expression. "However, I'm sure you remember what happened the last time, do you not?"

"I remember, all right. But I guarantee you things won't go down like they did back then," declared Neptune.

"Hmph! I suppose we'll have to see about that. Although, I suggest we hold our little competition at a later date."

"Fine by me! How does one week from today sound?"

"I'll keep my schedule cleared for that day. I'll look forward to it."

"And so will I."

Any prior tension from before finally seemed to difuse as Vert had decided to take her leave from the room. She wore a triumphant smirk on her face all the while, only casting one final glance back at Neptune, who returned with a determined look of her own. She left without another word, leaving Nepgear to wonder what just happened.

"Um… Neptune?"

"What's up, Nepgear?"

"I'm not really sure what just happened, but are you sure about this? Vert seemed really confident about this."

"Well, to be honest I am a little bit nervous," Neptune admitted, looking up at the ceiling with an oddly calm expression for someone who was supposedly nervous. "Even so, this is still something I have to do. It's been a while since our last challenge, so I definitely won't make the same mistakes as back then."

"...Well, I guess I'll just put my trust in you, then."

"I'll be sure to bring home the gold, Nepgear. Then we can finally get back to doing couple stuff."

"I'd like that."

"Neptune?! Nepgear?! Are you still there…? I heard the door again… Please tell me you went off to find scissors… Hello?! Helloooo?! … … … They already left, didn't they…? WOULD SOMEONE HELP ME OUT OF THIS ALREADY?!"


	25. A Talk By The Farm!

If not for the fact that Nepgear was presently pacing back and forth around the living room of the basilicom, one might actually think today was just like any other day at the basilicom. This, however, couldn't be farther from the truth. You wouldn't think she had thrown down a challenge to decide her little sister's fate just two days ago by the way Neptune was acting, but it did happen and Nepgear just couldn't stop thinking about it no matter what she tried.

How Neptune and Histoire weren't at all nervous about the upcoming duel was beyond Nepgear. Neptune was on the couch reading manga as usual and Histoire was calmly looking over the pages of a book about "chickenbos," if Nepgear read that correctly. Neptune would occasionally also glance over at the book in between chapters before getting right back into her stories.

Nepgear knew that Neptune was good at staying calm no matter the situation, in fact it was one of the many things she loved about her, but couldn't she at least be a bit more serious about this challenge? Nepgear did say she'd be fine with whatever the outcome happened to be, but was Neptune not even going to try? Maybe she was reading a bit too much into this, but she really couldn't help it. Nobody ever really knew what Neptune was thinking, so all they could do was guess, and that's just what Nepgear did.

After she stopped pacing around the living room, Nepgear took a deep breath and finally decided to say something. "Um… Neptune..." Unfortunately for her, as soon as Neptune turned around to look at her she started to feel a bit awkward about the whole thing and practically chickened out. "Uh… W...What are you reading?" Was all she could bring herself to ask. Luckily, Neptune seemed more than happy to answer her question.

"Oh, I've been catching up on the Dragon Rock Super manga," Neptune chirped. "They finally explained what the new villain's transformation is all about. Good timing, too; I was wondering if they'd ever get around to that."

"I see," said Nepgear. "W-well… That's good."

"You can't stop thinking about that challenge, can you?" Nepgear promptly proceeded to blink away several times in surprise.

"How did you-"

"Cause it's written all over your face," Neptune interrupted. "Is it really bothering you that much?"

Was it really that obvious? Nepgear already knew she was kind of a boring character, but was she predictable, too?! "W-Well… M-Maybe a little," Nepgear finally replied. She felt embarrassed just admitting to it, so much so that she bashfully tried to avert her gaze from meeting Neptune's own.

"You should really learn to be more like your big sis, you know," Neptune began, "You gotta relax whenever you're able to."

"Neptune, I understand what you are getting at, but sometimes you can be a bit _too_ laid back," Histoire chided in between pages. "Although I do believe you should heed your sister's advice, Nepgear."

"I know that, but..."

Neptune cut in with a sigh, shrugging her shoulders as she put down her manga. "No helping it, I guess. I wanted to save it for a few days before the big challenge, but… Want to go for a walk with me, Nepgear? I know a really nice place we can go to."

"A walk?" Nepgear repeated. "I… I guess I can come with you… Where did you have in mind?"

"It's a secret," Neptune cheekily replied. "I want it to be a surprise."

Nepgear pouted. Neptune sure was a cheeky one, alright.

"Aw, don't be like that my darling little girlfriend," Neptune chirped. "It wouldn't be any fun if I ruined the surprise. Besides, the place isn't too far from that one dungeon we went to a few days ago, uh… What was it again?"

"Unreal Falls."

"Yeah, that one! It's just a hop, skip and a jump away from there." As if to accentuate her point, Neptune actually did a hop, skip and jump in place. Although, Nepgear was more interested in how the older purplette's skirt bounced with each action she made, eliciting a blush from the candidate. "Oh, but we'll have to stop by the farm first."

"Eh?" Nepgear titled her head, staring quizzically at her short-stack of a sister. "Why do we need to visit the farm?"

"There's something I need to go take care of over there," Neptune explained. It would've helped a whole lot more if she was willing to give Nepgear a hint or something. "Of course, since I know you're curious, I'll give you a hint." Oh… How convenient. "It has to do with something you've seen very recently.

Off to the side, Histoire blinked a few times in confusion, looking just as confused, if not more so than Nepgear. At least she wasn't the only one lost… or so Nepgear had thought. After a few seconds passed, Histoire's eyes widened in a sort of eureka moment, as if she had figured out what Neptune was hinting at. Apparently Nepgear really was alone in her confusion.

"Ah, so you are taking her to that place, Neptune?" said Histoire. Unfortunately, this did nothing to help clue in Nepgear on what she was missing. "I see. Nepgear, I believe you should go with your sister. This could be a good opportunity for you both to get some air, you may even learn something new while you are out there."

"Something new?" Nepgear repeated. "What do you mean by that?"

"You will see once you have arrived at your destination," was Histoire's response. "Just make sure you don't get lost out there. While the area is relatively peaceful there are some incredibly vicious monsters lurking around out there. Normally, I doubt they'd of much trouble to a CPU, but… you two have leveled down a bit since the last crisis on Gamindustri, so I recommend you simply avoid them."

"Oh, come on, Histy. We could totally take those beasties," Neptune retorted.

"Neptune!"

"Okay, okay, I was just joking," the CPU assured with a casual wave of the hand. "It's not like we even have any business with them anyway."

"Just promise me you won't do anything reckless."

"You have my word."

"Do I?"

"Geez, you're a real worrywart, Histy. I promise, boil and boil until I fry… Uh… Or is supposed to be pants on fire…? No, but that's about liars, isn't it?"

"M-Maybe we should go, Neptune," Nepgear offered.

"Good idea, Nepgear!"

 **-~-~-~- _Purple Lovers_ -~-~-~-**

"Ah, good old scene transitions," Neptune chirped. "You can't live without 'em."

Thanks to the convenience of scene transitions, Tune and Gear now found themselves in a lovely, grassy field situated near a large forest. The grass was of a slightly darker color than many other places they'd been to, and there were several hills and slopes all around with many non-violent creatures roaming the land, though the duo still brought along their weapons just in case. Off in the distance, one could even make out the visage of the Unreal Falls' towering waterfalls and tall jagged stones.

It was a very lovely environment through and through, but uh… Nepgear was a little more focused on why they were here. "I guess I should just be happy that you're back to breaking the fourth wall like you usually do." The younger purplette let out a sigh, deciding to just go along with her sister and be patient with her. The elder smiled in turn and walked forward with a smirk.

"Come on, Nepgear, the farm should be pretty close by," said Neptune.

Nepgear followed Neptune without another word. She decided there that maybe it would just be best to enjoy her time with her sister. They walked together at a comfortable pace, but every now and then Neptune did a little skip before going back to a casual walk cycle. The sigh alone made Nepgear giggle; her sister had a natural talent for spreading around positivity.

It didn't take long until the farm Neptune had spoken of came into view, prompting Neptune to take off ahead of Nepgear and forcing the girl to speed up in order to keep up with her energetic older sister… At least until Neptune stopped halfway through to catch her breath. Apparently her decline in levels had taken a much greater toll on her than either had probably anticipated.

"Okay… We're almost there… just a liiitle more to go…" Nepgear patted her sister on the back as she gasped for air. "Why do our levels even go down anyway?! I started at, like, level 50 when I got out of that 3-year summer camp in the Graveyard, so how come we lose them so much easier now?! It's not fair, I tell ya!" the shorter purplette complained.

"W-Well, it's not all bad. It's like… Ah!" Nepgear snapped her finger as she came up with – what she thought was – a fitting analogy. "Think of it this way: Some people really love playing games on New Game + because it makes them feel super strong, but some other players prefer to start the game over fresh to see how much they've improved since the first time they played through it. It's kind of like that, if that makes any sense."

"Uh..." Neptune deadpanned. "So, you're saying that since our levels can go down over time, it's like when an experience player starts a whole new game to test out their skills?" Neptune actually seemed to stop to think about that for a second. Whether she actually understood what Nepgear was talking about or not was another matter entirely, but the fact that she was thinking about it was a good sign… Probably.

"Yes! That's exactly it." Nepgear nodded excitedly.

"Hm… Well, I guess when you put it that way it's not _all_ bad," Neptune finally spoke after a moment of deliberation. "I guess it is kind of fun to go back to old bosses when you know what to do and see how well you can do… Maybe I should try that more often in some of our old games..."

"See? It's not all bad. You just have to look at the positive," Nepgear chirped. "Come on, it's only a short distance to the farm…? Goodness, it looks nothing like what I expected!"

Nepgear's words piqued her sister's interest, prompting her to shift her gaze to where her sibling was looking. "Whoa!" Neptune's eyes widened in surprise once she spotted the farm in question. It was giant in scale, containing several different places for livestock and dozens upon dozens of different crops growing as far as the eye could see. "It's… It looks...different from the last time I was here."

"How different?" Nepgear asked.

"Well… Back then it was just a small-time farm. And I think they only raised a few different kinds of animals," the short CPU explained. "Huh… I guess I should've expected that, but man this is still one heck of a system shock."

"I see… Say, sis, why are we here again?"

"You called me sis again," Neptune pouted.

"Wha… Oh, I'm sorry… I guess I haven't gotten entirely accustomed to calling you by name."

"No, it's alright," Neptune assured. "I guess it was a bit much to ask you to do that for all the time. Honestly, I'm a little surprised you lasted as long as you did." The CPU giggled to herself, as if she'd just told a good joke. Nepgear didn't quite get it, but she returned to a more calm demeanor just a moment later. "As for why I brought you here… Well, it's a bit of a long story, but bottom line is, I heard the people that worked might be able to help me after the first time I lost that challenge with Verty."

"I… I think I understand..." Nepgear did not really understand.

"Funny thing is, for all the help they gave me I still lost the second time around," Neptune recounted. "It was one of the first things I failed at back then, so I guess I took the chance to try again now that I'm older and calmer… Huh… That kind of makes me sound pretty bad, doesn't it? Using my sister's crisis as a chance to settle things with Vert..."

"Wh-Wha? N-No, I don't think so at all!" Nepgear hurriedly cut in. "That...actually explains a lot, now that you mention it. Though, I guess some people probably would think that's pretty bad..." Nepgear immediately regretted her choice of words as soon as she saw Neptune's face shift into a self-deprecating pout. Not good; she needed to correct her mistake quickly! "B-But, I don't think so!" she sputtered out. "I… Well… I'm not sure if we'd ever have come to an agreement either way, so I don't think it really matters how we decide to settle it."

"...You really think so, Nepgear?"

"Of course! So, don't be so hard on yourself, okay?"

"...Okay… I dunno how long the farm stays open, but I guess we should get going soon." Nepgear breathed an inward sigh of relief. She hadn't expected to see that side of Neptune, but thankfully her funk had come and gone in only a matter of seconds. She may have been smiling on the surface, but she still carried a sense of regret on the inside, Nepgear noted. The realization made Nepgear's heart churn inside of her chest; she just hoped this farm didn't grow any eggplants.

Shaking the thoughts of her head, Nepgear took Neptune's hand in her own and pulled her forward in a rare moment in where she was taking the lead in their relationship. "Come on, sis. I've never been to a farm before, so I want you to show me around." Neptune had initially been taken aback by her sister's forwardness at first, but in true Neptune fashion her smile found its way back in a flash as she slowly adjusted to Nepgear's speed.

"You got it, Nep Jr.!"

Nepgear did not know what was going on through her sister's head at that moment, but she did know one thing: She liked it better when Neptune was smiling.

 **-~-~-~- _Purple Lovers_ -~-~-~-**

 _The Fated Day!_

The days seemed to pass by in a flash. Not much had happened during the trip to the farm, but it did strengthen Nepgear's desire to make Neptune happy. She had wanted to ask more about the duel between her and Vert from back then, but she had gotten so caught up in having fun with the older CPU that the idea had completely slipped her mind. As a matter of fact, she had forgotten all about it the entire time leading up to this day. In the end, it didn't really matter since, she had finally gotten her answer today and… Well… Suffice to say, Nepgear hadn't expected this.

"So… Remind me why Vert and your sister are sitting on the backs of two chickenbos," a more than perplexed Uni asked from Nepgear's side. "More importantly, why did all of us have to come watch them?"

"Agreed," Noire chimed in. "This is between the two of you. I don't see why you had to call us over. I have work to do, you know."

"Aw, don't be like that, Lonely Heart," Neptune teased. Funnily enough, even the big purple chickenbo she was currently riding on was staring Noire with a teasing smirk. As teasing as a big purple chicken-bird creature could be, at least… Apparently that was a lot. "This is a really important challenge between two CPUs."

"More importantly, we needed a panel of judges to make this truly official," Vert jumped in. "This is a challenge to decide whether Nepgear will remain Planeptune's CPU Candidate or become Leanbox's. And, while I don't see Neptune as the type to back out of an agreement, some extra insurance never hurt anyone." As Vert was finishing her little explanation, Rom and Ram were busy playing with her own, green chickenbo, almost making the Leanbox CPU lose her balance as a result, but she managed to stay on somehow.

"Tch. Why the hell are you two competing over this shit in the first place?" Blanc spat out. "Nepgear, don't you have anything to say about this, or did those two decide this without you?"

"It is a bit complicated, so I would prefer to save the details for later," Histoire explained, finally joining the conversation." All you really need to know is that since Nepgear has been on the fence regarding this matter, we have decided to leave it to Neptune and Vert to come to a decision. As it just so happens, a Chickenbo race was what they settled on."

"Has Neptune been ignoring her sister again? I bet that's what it is," Noire cut in.

"How rude!" Neptune exclaimed, she and her oversized fowl friend feigning a hurt expression. "I'll have you know I've been treating my beloved Nep Jr. as nothing short of royalty for the past few weeks."

"She's not wrong," Nepgear confirmed with a blush.

"Siscon!"

"S-Sicon..."

"Rom! Ram! Please don't tease me like that!" Nepgear exclaimed.

"Yeah!" Uni chimed in. "We all know she likes it better when it comes from her sister."

"Not you, too, Uni!"

"Well, at least someone's having fun," Blanc muttered to herself before deciding to withdraw a book from her inventory. "Hey, what about you?" she asked, turning to Chika. The green-haired oracle had the strangest mix of pout and scowl anyone had ever seen. "Are you okay with this?"

"Ever since I was a child I have always rooted for my Goddess with all of my body and soul… Today, I am going to commit the greatest sin anyone could ever make… I am going to root for Lady Neptune to win this challenge," said Chika in a disturbingly monotone voice.

"Whatever. Let's just get this over with already. Rom! Ram! Stop playing with the big green chicken so we can start this race already!"

"But he's so cool and green!"

"He's so… fluffy..."

"I was talking about Vert!" Blanc smirked at the scowl she received from the green CPU. Rom and Ram couldn't help but let out a giggle as well before they finally obeyed their sister's desire and moved away from Vert's majestic chickenbo and took their spots in between Nepgear and Uni.

"Your big sister is weird, Nepgear," Ram stated.

"Why are they competing, Ms. Nepgear?" Rom asked softly.

"It's a long story, Rom," Nepgear answered.

"Don't you love your sister?"

"I..." Nepgear stopped for a second, casting a glance to her proud older sister. As soon as Neptune noticed Nepgear's gaze the CPU stood on her mount's back and struck a victorious looking pose, to which said mount tried to mimic as best it could. It was silly and stupid in so many ways, but… It was just so Neptune. "I do… I really do."

"Then… do you want her to win?" Uni inquired. "Honestly, I can't imagine you going even a few hours without Neptune by your side."

"Well..." Nepgear was still a little unsure of how to answer that. Her fellow candidates were quick to notice her hesitation, but instead of saying anything on the matter they opted to stay silent, perhaps out of curiosity more than anything else. "A part of me does, but another part of me doesn't. I wish I could make a choice and be over with it, but… There's something I want to know, and I think this duel will tell me the answers I've been looking for."

"Huh… I guess there's a lot more to this than we know, huh? You'd better explain this to us once this is all over," Uni said.

"I will, don't worry." Now if only Nepgear could somehow prepare her fellow Goddesses for the massive bombshell that was about to be dropped on them all… Oh, Nepgear could already imagine their reactions to when they finally found out… Maybe she could get Neptune to help her explain it to them… Never mind, that sounded like a train wreck just waiting to happen.

There were many times in which Nepgear believed that dating her own sister had plenty of perks… This was not one of those times.


	26. The Challenge!

To anyone else, today would have been just another ordinary day in Gamindustri… Well, as ordinary as any day in this world _could_ be, but that's beside the point. The real point is, today was not just an ordinary day.

In a rare occurrence, all 8 Goddesses, plus the oracles of Planeptune and Leanbox had gathered together in the same location, the Great Chasm of Leanbox. It was a giant, sprawling expanse of rocky valleys and mountains that spanned several miles, coupled with flowing rivers that stretched out well into the sunset; considered to be Leanbox's biggest and most popular attraction. Today this giant expanse of land would act as the setting in which Neptune and Vert would settle their dispute once and for all.

By this day's end, Nepgear's life would forever change, whether it be for better or for worse. This challenge between CPUs would decide if she stayed as the candidate of Planeptune, or become the candidate of Leanbox. The purple sister had told herself that she would accept whatever outcome came to her, but now that it was actually happening she felt more anxious than she'd ever been in her whole life.

"Hey, Nepgear, look! No hands!" Or at least she would have been nervous, if not for the fact that her sister was striking poses on the back of an 8-foot tall purple chicken creature with two floppy, almost tassel-like appendages dangling from both sides of its head and a saddle on its back. Vert was also sat on the same type of fowl, but hers was a grassy green in coloration, though Neptune's went the extra mile in mimicking the purple CPU's gestures and poses to the best of its abilities. And while something like this wasn't exactly abnormal for the ruler of Planeptune, Nepgear certainly hadn't expected a race like this to decide her future as a CPU Candidate.

"Th-That's great, sis," Nepgear replied with a slow, awkward wave, a single sweatdrop falling down the side of her head. She wasn't sure how Neptune wasn't falling off the back of her fowl friend, but that was the least of her concerns. "A-Are you sure you really want to do this, sis?"

The question seemed to snap Neptune out of her trance. "It's a bit late to be asking that now, don't you think?" Uni asked, stealing the words straight from Neptune's mouth. "If you were going to say that, then you should've said it before we even got here." The younger tsundere casually crossed her arms and gave the purple sister a curious gaze.

"I know, but..."

"It's because Neptune never beat Vert the other two times they dueled, right?" Noire asked, cutting into the conversation. Nepgear didn't say anything, but Noire could tell from her expression that she'd hit the nail on the head. "Why would you even challenge Vert to something you've never won at before?" She asked, her gaze directed at the CPU of Planeptune.

"I'm not the same Nep I was back then!" Neptune responded in kind with her usual, cheerful demeanor. "I didn't know what I was doing back then, but I've been learning more about the art of chickenbo racing since then. I mean, I'm not an expert or anything, but I'm definitely not gonna make the same mistakes as last time."

"We shall see," Vert replied in a smug tone. This only caused Neptune and her chickenbo to flare with a competitive spirit as they stared down their green rivals, sparks flying from their intense staredown.

Things were about to really heat up.

 **-~-~-~- _Purple Lovers_ -~-~-~-**

"So, if we're quite done with all the banter and small talk," Noire began in the most stern, no-nonsense voice she could muster. She and Blanc stood in between Neptune and Vert, acting as a pair of designated race girls. "Are you two ready to settles this matter once and for all?" No words came from either contestant, instead, they both stared forward, a fearsome fire burning in their eyes. "Good."

"The race will be from here to the shark-head mountain over there," Blanc chimed in, directing a sole finger towards a large mountain that was in the shape of a shark's head. It was at least a good few miles away from where Neptune and Vert had placed the starting line, with several twists and turns and many standing stones on the way there. "The rules are simple. If you transform or cheat in any way, then we're allowed to kick both of your asses."

It was amazing how calmly Blanc could say something like that so casually. "The terrain here can sometimes be very unpredictable, so for this race the both of you are allowed to use weapons and skills as you deem fit," Noire added. "Naturally, that also includes your chickenbo's skills as well. Do you need me to over them with you, Neptune?"

"No need," the purple CPU replied with a nonchalant wave of the hand. Once again, her fowl pal mimicked her movements. "Purple chickenbos have super strong legs and they can jump good and strong beaks that can break metal." Neptune's purple chicken pal nodded along, pleased by its partner's knowledge. "And the green ones have strong wind magic they use to glide further or fly for a few seconds."

"Oh? It seems you were serious when you said you've learned more since then," teased Vert. "You've certainly done your homework since last time. In which case, I hope you're ready for your final exam."

"Exam… I thought we were racing…?"

"...It was a metaphor..."

"Oh… I get it now."

Cue the epic facepalm from Noire. "Ugh… Let's just get this over with," the CPU of Black demanded. There was a flash of light as she and Blanc took on their HDD forms and hovered into the air. Noire shifted her gaze to Nepgear as she called the girl over. "Nepgear! This race is about you, so I think you should be the one to say go."

"We'll be sure to catch these two idiots if they end up falling," Blanc chimed in.

"Ah, r-right!" The younger purplette scurried over to the two competitors, stopping in between the two and their fowl partners. She silently gulped, looking back between the two before taking in a deep breath and collecting herself. "A-Are the contestants, ready?!" She hollered out, as if she were some kind of game-show host. Her answer came in the form of Neptune and Vert switching into serious mode, grabbing the reins on their fowl, as their chickenbos pawed their feet against the ground like a pair of bulls ready to charge. "L-Let the match..."

A beat. Everyone all watched with baited as Nepgear raised an arm into the air, all silently counted down in their heads.

3…

2…

1…

"Begin!"

And just like that, they were off as soon as Nepgear's arm came down. There came a great gust of wind from the two chickenbos kicking off the ground with great force, almost knocking the spectators off-balance. Black Heart and White Heart flew upwards, prompting the rest of the peanut gallery to follow suit so they could wait for the race's conclusion near the finish line. All the while, the green and purple Goddesses clashed on the ground.

The path to Shark Mountain started off with a simple, straight road, but in a few short seconds the landscape began to morph into long, winding rings that seemed almost like an impossibility of nature. Vert circumvented this issue by using her fowl's powerful wind magic to simply fly through them, giving her an early lead while Neptune began to lag behind.

"I shall be taking the lead, if you don't mind, Neptune!" Vert boasted as she was back on the proper, unwinded path. Neptune groaned in annoyance, looking for an opening to overtake Vert. She slowly began catching up to the green CPU, but Vert made sure to block Neptune from overtaking her at every turn. There came several twists and turns, but Vert easily kept Neptune at bay, until the next obstacle showed itself.

There came a fork in the road in where the paths diverged, one leading lower down to an area with several obstructions and jagged rocks strewn about that would hinder progress. But on the other path there was a series of impeccably placed balancing rocks acting as platforms that lead to a higher path. "Now's my chance!" Neptune called out. The green chickenbo could only fly so high, but with the purple one's superior jumping power, Neptune was easily able to hop across them all and land herself along the higher path.

The path was clear for Neptune, but Vert would not go down easily, using her own skills to make the path easier to traverse. "Inbetween Spear!" The green CPU summoned her trusted spear, twirling it over her head and summoning forth a series of powerful spears to tear apart any obstacles that would impede her. And while it allowed her an easier time traveling through the lower path, Neptune was putting more and more distance between the two by the second. To make matters even worse, Neptune was even showing off by standing on the back of her chickenbo's back while it sped forward. "I suppose I'll have to try something else to close the gap, then… Wait, that's it!"

The busty blonde snapped her finger as an idea came to her mind. She raised a hand up to the sky and it began to glow with a white light and soon, her chickenbo was briefly engulfed in ring of light. The green fowl began moving faster and faster.

"Incredible! I wasn't expecting such an increase in speed from a single buff," Vert spoke with a growing smirk, amazed at her own skill. "Now, shall we try something else?" She asked, her chickenbo nodding its head as a go-ahead. The green CPU grabbed her fowl's reigns and directed it closer to the stone wall by her side and, in a surprising turn of events, the chickenbo began running up the wall and jumping in front of Neptune once more, surprising the purplette.

"What the! How the heck did you do that?!" Neptune questioned, at which point, Noire flew ever closer to the purple CPU to inform her.

"She used one of her buffs on her chickenbo to make it move faster. She used the extra speed to climb up the wall and get ahead of you again," Black Heart casually explained before ascending upwards once more.

"You can do that?!" Neptune squaked in amazement. In response, Vert glanced back at her, sticking her tongue out at her fellow CPU in a very playful manner. She quickly faced forward again and began trying to cement her lead by racing ahead of Neptune even further, leaving said purplette to grit her teeth as she tried to catch up once again. Vert's buff had worn off shortly after, but even then she consistently blocked Neptune from overtaking her just as she had before.

They were coming upon the shark mountain on which stood the finish line. By this point, the candidates, alongside Histoire and Chika had beaten them there and were waiting anxiously for a winner to be decided. Nepgear especially looked like she was on the edge of her metaphorical seat to see who would emerge as the victor.

The confidence Neptune had come into the race with was slowly beginning to fade now that they were so close to the end. She was beginning to show signs of fear and panic now that the reality that she could lose this race was starting to set in. She couldn't find a good opening to pass Vert and the winding passage up the mountain was getting closer and closer by the second. What was a Nep to do in this situation?

"Wait a minute… Maybe… Juuuuuuust maybe… Hey, big guy," she said to her purple fowl. "I'm gonna need you to jump once we're closer to that mountain." The chickenbo looked back at her as if she was insane. "Trust me, I know what I'm doing," Neptune assured. Her partner was hesitant, but it shook its head with a 'kweh!" in understanding.

The race continued on as normal from there, Vert held the lead, but glanced backwards on occasion to make sure Neptune didn't try any funny business. To her surprise, Neptune was trying no such thing, opting to stay close behind her fellow CPU. Neptune's sudden shift in behavior caused even the CPUs spectating from above to wonder what the purplette was up to.

Vert gulped, pushing those thoughts to the back of her head as she encroached on the path. She planned to settles this with a clean victory, but a sudden battle cry from Neptune and her chickenbo took her by surprise. Neptune leaped into the air above Vert's head in an attempt to take a higher path to give herself an advantage. Everyone looked on in surprise. "Is she mad?!" Vert wondered aloud. "Even with a purple one's jumping prowess, there is no way you can make such a jump, Neptune!" Or so Vert had thought.

Right as Neptune's chickenbo had reached the peak of its jump height a glowing blue sword appeared underneath its feet, which it used as a stepping stone to propell itself to new heights never thought possible… For a chickenbo, anyway. "Alriiiiiiight!"

"So she can use her skills like that, huh?" Blanc mused from above.

"It seems I've underestimated you, Neptune," Vert muttered. "But, I will not give up here! Onward, my faithful steed!"

Not one to give in, Vert pushed forward, once more enchanting her own chickenbo with her speed buff skill. Even though Neptune had gotten a good lead on her, it didn't take long before Vert closed the distance, something that Neptune was quick to notice as they climbed up the mountain. "Nepu?! That skill of yours is way too good! I call hax!"

"Call it whatever you want, I am winning this race!" Vert called back. Neptune was quick to try blocking Vert passge in overtaking her, but as luck would have it, Neptune momentarily tripped up, giving Vert a chance to catch up. "This is it!"

"Nuh uh!" But just as Vert was about to move forward, Neptune bounced back, halting her from getting ahead, but in doing so the two were now, quite literally, neck-in-neck with one another. Their chickenbos fought to gain a lean, nudging heads while sprinting, but neither budged. Seconds later, Neptune and Vert followed their lead and pushed againt each other, but it only lasted for so long as the top was finally in sight.

Time slowed to a crawl as Neptune's chickenbo tripped up for the second time that race.

 **-~-~-~- _Purple Lovers_ -~-~-~-**

Vert and Neptune were mere seconds away from crossing the finish line. Just a few short seconds and Nepgear's fate would be decided. And yet, that feeling of anxiety she'd been feeling had reached a fever pitch as soon as she saw Neptune trip up just mere feet away from the finish line.

Everyone's facse morphed into surprise, including Vert herself. And yet, none were more shocked than Nepgear herself. It was in that moment, when time felt as though it was standing still that she finally understood why she had been feeling this way all the way until now. Deep, deep down, she wanted Neptune to win the race.

Deep down, Nepgear wanted Neptune to win the race. She realized now, that she wanted to stay by Neptune's side, but more than that, she wanted to see just how badly Neptune wanted to win. She had begun to feel anxious because seeing Neptune acting so nonchalant made her wonder if Neptune at all cared if she lost either way, but now she was feeling anxious for an entirely different reason.

She realized that if Neptune lost, then Nepgear wouldn't be able to stand by her side all the time. She was afraid wouldn't get to see her face in the morning right as she was waking up. Afraid that she wouldn't get to make breakfast for her and she wouldn't get to listen to her compliments about the food Nepgear made.

"N… Neptune!" Nepgear called out her sister's name, as if she had thought that doing so would do anything, but she and her chickenbo only continued to tumble in slow motion.

Vert pushed on, returning her gaze to the finish line as Neptune tumbled to the ground, but the purple CPU was not done there. The purple chickenbo let out a hearty 'kweh' as it seemed to rocket forward, propelled by some unknown force and shot straight past Vert, crossing the finish line only a split second before the green CPU.

Vert came to a halt, everyone's gaze on the purple chicken as it tumbled forward on the ground, knocking its rider off as they continued to roll. There was silence as the group collectively stared at the downed CPU and her chicken steed, until they finally came back to life.

"Neptune!" Once again calling her sister's name, Nepgear was the first to move, rushing to her sister's side to see if she was okay. Her fellow Goddesses followed shortly after, Rom and Ram checking to see if the chickenbo was unharmed. It had been groggy because of the sudden tumble, but thanks to the twins' healing magic the purple fowl was up and at 'em in no time before moving to its rider's side. "Neptune! Are you alright?!" Nepgear called out, shaking her sister from her daze. It had been to no avail. "Neptune! Neptune, wake up!"

Rom and Ram rushed to the purple CPU, pointing their staffs at her chest, a soft blue-ish glow emanating from them. Nobody dared to make a sound while they waited for them to be done, save for the occasional cluck from the concerned pair of chickenbos eyeing the purple Goddess.

Neptune finally began to mumble, to which Rom and Ram took a step back, leaving Nepgear to hold the groggy CPU.

"Ow, my head," whined Neptune.

"Neptune… I'm so glad you're okay!" The purple sister practically crushed Neptune in a relief-filled embrace.

"Guh… I love ya too, Nepgear, but… Need...air..." Nepgear promptly eased up at her sister's behest, allowing her a well-deserved breath of air. "Aaaah… That's much better," Neptune sighed.

"Um… I don't mean to interrupt you two while you're having a moment," Uni chimed in, earning the two sisters' attention. "But, what happened just now? It looked like Vert was going to win, but then you suddenly shot forward like a bullet. How did you do that?"

"It's simple, Uni," Black Heart chimed in, reverting to her human form. "She won the same way she got the lead against Vert just a while ago. Just before they could hit the ground, Neptune created another bit blade and her chickenbo used it as a stepping stone."

"I'll admit, that was actually a pretty good move on your part," added Blanc, joining the conversation. "I guess you it's true when they say the cornered fox is the most dangerous."

"That's not it," Neptune interrupted, to everyone's surprise. "I won..." She stood up from her spot on the ground, dusted herself off and walked right up Vert and looked her straight in the eyes, "Because I love Nepgear more than you could ever could."

"Neptune..." Her sister's name once again left Nepgear's lips. It was starting to feel like that was all she could say today, but she didn't care. The candidate was just so… so happy. So happy that walked to Neptune's side, grabbed her by the face and kissed her right then and there, not caring that all of their friends were watching.

"Um… Wha-What's going on right now, sis…?"

"I doon't...know, Uni..."

"Hey, big sis, why is Nepgear making out with her sister?"

"Th-they're… k-kissing..."

"...They're… Why are they..."

"You know what? I don't even care! I never thought I'd be this happy to see my beloved Vert lose in my whole life! Well done, Lady Neptune! My position as Vert's sole sister is safe!"

"Chika, I think we have bigger concerns here than your-"

" **WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT?!** "

"Like that…"

"Whoa, did you hear that, Nep Jr.? I never knew everyone was so good at harmonizing. I bet'cha they could make a wicked barbershop quintet. Don't you think so, Verty, buddy?"

"I suppose… Well, at any rate, it would seem that I've lost... Congratulations, Neptune."

"That's right! I won... Oh, I know, in celebration, I say we take everyone and-"

"Neptune!"

"Yes?"

"Forget about them right now. I want you to look at me."

"O...Okay…"

And thus, the race to decide Nepgear's fate had been settled once and for all. While their friends took their time to recover from the news, Nepgear decided to wrap her arms around her sister's hips to keep her from escaping and claimed Neptune's lips over, and over, and over again.

All in all, it was such a romantic scene… If not for all the CPU-sized statues staring with giant fish eyes. That kind of ruined the mood a little.

* * *

 **A/N: And thus, the race comes to an end. How will everyone react to finding out about Neptune and Nepgear's relationship? Find out... Next month, because I'm going back to HB 201 now. For those unaware, I bounce between stories each month. I was supposed to be back to HB last month, but due to certain circumstances, I decided to extend PL month into January, so there ya go. Worry not though, as PL will be back in March, so look forward to it.**

 **And again, thanks for reading. This is the first time I've ever done a race thing, so let me know what you thought of it, or just the chapter as a whole in a review. Or don't if you don't want to, either way is fine. But again, thank you so much for reading, see y'all later.**

 **-Draco**


	27. A Talk With Noire!

"So..." Producing a random mirror from her inventory, Neptune stared intently at all the lipstick stains now covering her face. It would take at least a good few minutes to wash all of _that_ off. "When do you think they'll all wake up?" she asked, pointing whimsically at her fellow CPUs. Though, they looked more like highly detailed, very realistic statues than actual people right about now.

"Tough to say," Vert chimed in. The green CPU lazily leaned against her oversized green chicken, letting slip a light yawn. "But, seeing as how they've been out of it for over half an hour now, I suggest we grab something to eat and let them take their time in recovering. I am starting to feel a bit famished."

"Can we come?" a squeaky voice butted in. It was quickly revealed to be the Lowee Candidate Ram, with her twin sister Rom standing close behind her. "Rom and I haven't eaten for a while, either," Ram finished as Rom nodded along with her.

"But of course!" said Vert, not missing a beat, "The more the merrier. Wouldn't you agree Neptune and… Nepgear?" A single glance was all it took for Vert to know that Nepgear probably wasn't listening. The busty CPU didn't have any experience with it personally, but she figured it would be difficult to pay attention to someone while rubbing your face against someone you love's stomach, all the while hugging them affectionately – which was exactly what Nepgear was doing right now.

"I don't mind," said Neptune, "Just as long as Blanny doesn't chew my ear off for this when she comes to. Honestly, you'd think she's never seen two sisters make out in front of all their friends before. Just what kind of world does she think we live in anyway?"

"Oh yeah. I had a question about that!" Ram said, interrupting Neptune's train of thought. "Why were you and Nepgear kissing like that?"

All of a sudden Nepgear came back to life, shooting up and looking at the twins with wide eyes, as if it only just now sunk in that she just sucked face with her own sister in front of all their friends. Friends who were probably completely unaware of her and Neptune's blossoming, romantic relationship. "W-Well, you see, Ram, Rom-"

"Are Ms. Nepgear and Ms. Neptune… dating?" Rom asked innocently, cutting Nepgear off. If the Nepgear wasn't nervous enough before now she was practically sweating bullets – nay, cannon balls seemed more accurate. Thankfully, her sister was able to keep calm for the both of them.

"As a matter of fact, Rommy, we _are_ dating," Neptune answered curtly. The twins were very surprised by the answer, but none were more surprised than a certain, foul-mouthed brunette.

"What the hell?!" Blanc cursed aloud, having apparently chosen now to come back to life, followed shortly by Noire and Uni. She looked like she was about to scream again, until she realized that Neptune and Nepgear were off to the side, talking to the Lowee twins. She didn't hesitate to trudge up to the purple pair once she regained her sense. "You two are… d-d-"

"Dating, Blanc," Vert filled in, "It's a simple word that is part of our vocabulary."

"Shut it, Thunder Tits!"

"I see you're still just as bad at finding new material," Vert countered. This had the unfortunate side effect of annoying Blanc, but thankfully, Noire jumped in before a fight could break out between the two.

"Alright, enough, you two. Neptune," the ravenette started, turning her attention to the purple CPU, "What is the meaning of this? I don't understand what's going on anymore, could you please explain this so we can all understand?" she politely requested.

"Hm… I guess it would be kind of a surprise to find out I'm dating the hottest CPU Candidate around." Either Neptune didn't notice the deadpan stares she got from her peers or she simply chose to ignore them. Probably the latter. She most definitely noticed Nepgear's renewed blush, though, if the wink she gave the girl was any indication. "Well, it's kind of a long story. See, I drank a potion and it made me realize I was in love with Nepgear, and then I asked her out… Huh… I guess it wasn't so long, after all."

"Potion?" Noire parroted, "I'm still a little lost here. Could someone please explain in a way that makes sense?"

"Nepgear, this involves you, can you explain this?" Uni asked, having finally snapped out of her shock at the situation. Nepgear jumped a bit at the request, but after taking a look around, the girl sighed and took a step forward.

"I-I guess I was going to have to eventually… You see, it all started when..."

 **-~-~-~- _Purple Lovers_ -~-~-~-**

"I see..." said Noire, bringing a hand to her chin in thought. She exchanged a look with both Uni and Blanc before nodding to herself. "So the reason for this whole mess was because of a little potion. One thing led to another and now here we are watching these two goofballs..." who were currently playing with their oversized chickenbo pals and the Lowee twins, "Fighting over you."

"If not for the fact that you and your sister were dating, this wouldn't be all that much different from any other day in Planeptune," Uni chimed in. Nepgear looked as if she wanted to say something to counter, but she piped up. Uni was absolutely right about that; to anyone else this would be considered one of the most important moments of their life, but for the Planeptune family… it was Thursday.

"Well, at the very least I'm glad they didn't decide to settle things with a fight to the death," Noire joked, "Knowing them, I doubt that even crossed their minds, but still..."

"I'm glad, too," said Nepgear, "I was a little worried when Neptune challenged Ms. Vert, but I'm glad it turned out the way it did."

"All's well that ends well, I guess," Blanc said after a moment. Her eyes showed a great deal of disinterest in the situation, directing her gaze over to her younger siblings. "It's none of my business what you guys do anyway. I'm done here, so I'm going back to Lowee, you all do whatever you want."

Blanc stepped away from the conversation from there. She called over to her two younger sisters, to which she was met with their whines as they were busy playing with the two oversized fowl. It was a very comical sight to behold. While this was all going on, Noire and Uni returned their attention to young Nepgear.

"Ignore her. I'm honestly surprised she stayed as long as she did," Noire admitted, "More importantly, Nepgear, I'd like to have a talk with you about all of this."

"T-Talk?" Nepgear parroted, "Is something wrong?"

"No, no. It's just that..." Noire paused, taking a moment to think over her words a bit. "It's just that something like this doesn't happen every day, especially not for us CPUs. Don't worry, I'm not like I'm going to berate you or anything, I just want to know where you stand in all of this is all."

"Miss Noire," Nepgear started, "W-Well, I guess I don't mind, then…" Briefly turning to Neptune, Nepgear was about to call her sister over, but Noire stepped in before she could get the words out, almost acting like a wall between the two. "Um… Is something wrong?" Nepgear inquired.

"N-No! It's just that I wanted to talk to you specifically," Noire answered. Both Uni and Nepgear looked at her very quizzically, waiting for an explanation. "Knowing Neptune, she wouldn't even _want_ to hear what I have to say, but I do still think it's very important. Besides, I don't need to talk to her to know what she thinks about this anyway."

Nepgear nodded. Noire was right, and now Nepgear was especially curious about what she wanted to talk about.

"Then," Uni started, "I guess I should probably go-"

"Wait!" Noire almost shrieked. Before Uni even had a chance to leave, Noire stopped her by grabbing her by the arm with a flustered expression. Though… It was a little embarrassing once Noire realized that Uni and Nepgear were looking at her funny as a result. "Uh… Ahem!" Quickly trying to recover from that, Noire cleared her throat and tried to look serious, all while fighting off the growing blush on her face. "I think you should stay, Uni. N-Nepgear is your friend and all, s-so I'm sure she'd feel a little more comfortable having you around."

"Oh, uh… Alright," said Uni, eliciting a sigh of relief from her sister.

"Alright, so… Nepgear, tell me, what do you think of Neptune?" asked Noire. The question only seemed to confuse Nepgear, as the candidate eyed Noire quizzically in response.

"Well, we're dating, so-"

"No, I mean… What do you think of her as a person?" Noire explained. Evidently, that was all she needed to say for Nepgear to finally understand her. "Ignore the fact that you two are… d-dating...now; I want to know what you think of her as her own person, not your g-girlfriend."

"Oh… W-Well, I'm not sure what to say to that," Nepgear admitted, "I've always looked up to her. She's so strong and cool, and she's… _one_...of the nicest people I know. She might be really lazy and mischievous, but when she really sets her mind on something she'll always see it through to the end. And above all else, I've always admired how she can take it easy no matter what kind of situation she's in. I know most people would say that's not necessarily a good thing, but I think it's great that she's able to take things at her own pace without being bothered by unnecessary thoughts. Honestly, I wish I could be more like that sometimes. It's one of the things I really love about her. Even if she does have some bad points, the good more than makes up for it to me."

"Nepgear..." said Uni, "Have you always felt like this?"

"Y-Yes. I have," Nepgear answered without hesitation.

"Hm… I see," said Noire, "I was a little worried that you'd be mostly focused on the good and ignore her flaws for a second. I'm glad that doesn't seem to be the case." The Lastation CPU chuckled to herself briefly, amused by the candidate's innocent and genuine affection. "You're definitely Neptune's little sister alright."

A light blush graced Nepgear's features. "Is that a good thing?"

"Well, at least you didn't inherit her less… savory traits," Uni chimed in, "Then again, you didn't inherit any of her more interesting traits either..." Had the Lastationite been trying to dampen Nepgear's mood with that remark, she succeeded.

"I… I-I can't help it that I'm kind of a boring person. I've always tried to stand out, but every time I do I just get those weird affinities and people make fun of me for it. It's not my fault I'm not much of a standout person, and besides, Neptune says I'm fine just the way I am. She likes it so I don't care what others think about it!" She said that, but...

Uni blinked. "Did I… Strike a nerve?" she asked, going unheard by the now incoherently babbling Nepgear. As for Noire, well, she simply sighed to herself.

"Nepgear!" Noire barked, eliciting a yelp from said candidate.

"Yes? What is it?"

"I think I understand your feelings as they are now. You love your sister very deeply, and I respect that." Nepgear blinked, feeling her blush returning to her. She was about to say something, but Noire wasn't done talking yet. "However, there is still something else I want to know."

Oh? She still wasn't done asking question? "There's more?"

"How much do you know about what Neptune was like in the past?"

"Sis' past?" Nepgear repeated, "I'm not sure I follow."

A pout seemed to cross Noire's features. "As in, back when she was the only CPU of Planeptune."

"Oh! So, from before I was even born, then?" Noire offered her a simple nod in response. "Of course I know," she said without any hesitation, "Neptune would often come home after the console war and talk about how boring things were back then, so-"

"I guess she hasn't actually told you much, then."

"Um… What?" Nepgear's head tilted slightly to the side. Had she missed something?

"What do you mean, sis?" Uni asked. Apparently Nepgear wasn't the only confused party here.

"Things were… different back then," Noire began, " _Neptune_ was different back then..." A scowl creeped onto the raven-haired CPU's face. Whatever must have been going through her head was definitely not a pleasant memory. "I guess I can't blame her for not wanting to talk about it, none of us really like to think about back then…

"I'm sure you both already know that we were on pretty bad terms back then because of the console war and rising tensions between nations. That much is common knowledge these days, but with that said, there's also a lot people don't know, too."

Nepgear and Uni exchanged a glance with one another, their trains of thought likely traveling along parallel railways. Neither said a word, choosing to focus on Noire instead. The Lastation CPU seemed to take this as a sign to continue.

"I know you might find this hard to believe, but… Neptune was a lot more violent and a not as positive back then. Almost like a different person, really." A beat. Noire took the moment to gauge Nepgear's reaction, seeing the girl blinking in surprise. "Goddesses are born from the people's faith, their emotions give us life, in a sense. According to Histoire, our personalities are partially influenced by our peoples as well. But what do you think that means for a group of goddesses all born during a more chaotic time?"

Noire's answer came in the form of silence. Not because Nepgear couldn't think of an answer, but rather, because of the opposite. She was a smart girl, so she already had a pretty good idea of where Noire was going with this… That didn't mean she had to like it, though. "So you mean that-"

"Those kinds of emotions tend to have a pretty big impact on us, whether we like it or not," Noire explained, "And, at the time, Planeptune had been driven into a corner and lost a lot to Lowee, so when Neptune came along, she couldn't escape all of that pent up aggression."

"W-Why are you telling me this?" Nepgear interrupted, eyes mixed with several emotions.

"You were going to have to learn at some point. Blanc doesn't really care, and I doubt Vert would want to talk about anything that she thought might upset you, so that leaves me to do it in their place," Noire explained, "And if you're dating that moron, then it's all the more reason for you to know. Even Neptune has a darker side to her." Nepgear blinked to herself, feeling her jaw go slack. "If it wasn't for her losing her memories, then she might still… No, chances are she might still carry a part of the old her deep down somewhere inside of her.

"Something like that never truly goes away. Like I said before, she's definitely mellowed out since then, but I want you to keep in mind that even someone as infectiously happy as Neptune has her fair share of skeletons in the closet." As she went about her explanation, Noire, in a rare moment of affection, offered her sister a small smile, gently placing a hand on Uni's shoulder. "The two of you were lucky you were born at a time when people had started to desire peace. If not for that, who knows how things would have ended up."

"Noire," Uni blushed.

"I-In any case," Noire started, withdrawing her hand and trying to hide her embarrassment. "I've said what I needed to say. Don't forget it, alright? If you're really intent on being with Neptune, then I think you need to know about her former self. The smile she wears today is genuine, but back then it was more like a mask to hide what she really felt like inside. Whatever happens, though, I wish you both the best of luck."

Without another word, Noire left the stunned candidate to absorb all of the knowledge that had been dropped on her. Nepgear could only continue to stare forward with an almost blank expression. Something about it worried her fellow candidate, Uni.

"Nepgear?" Uni began.

"Huh…? What is it, Uni?"

"You seem a little out of it," Uni explained, "Are you feeling alright? That...was a lot to take in, so..."

"I-I'm fine. Really," said Nepgear. She didn't sound very convincing, though, not even to herself.

"Are you sure?" asked Uni.

"Yes… I appreciate your concern, but really, I'm...fine." She said that, but she kept giving her sister an incomprehensible stare. It was hard to tell if Nepgear was actually looking at Neptune or beyond her, even she herself couldn't tell. "I… I guess I'm not really sure how to feel about what Ms. Noire just said," Nepgear admitted, "But, I know she's not the type of person who would lie about something so serious, so…"

There was a brief silence between the two. Nepgear kept staring forward with a thousand-mile stare, feeling unsure of herself, for some reason. And yet... that changed when Neptune saw her, and smiled at her, beckoning her closer. It was a smile that brought back the light in her eyes, which, consequently, also made Uni feel far more at ease as well.

"This is _you_ we're talking about. I'm sure you'll figure things out soon," Uni assured with a casual toss of her twintail. "I can't say I know your sister very well, but I know that your family are always able to overcome your problems, even if it takes you way longer than it should. Whatever you feel, I know you'll figure it out eventually."

"Uni… Thank you. I appreciate that," Nepgear smiled. With that, the raven-haired candidate offered her friend a smile before making her way over to Noire, beckoning Nepgear to come along with a simple nudge of the shoulder. No use mulling over something so big when all of their friends were waiting for them. "I guess it can wait, then..."

 **-~-~-~- _Purple Lovers_ -~-~-~-**

 **A/N: As an apology from me to all of you for slacking so much on HB 201, enjoy this double-update. If ya don't see ch 28 yet, try refreshing the page, or come back a bit later. Enjoy.**


	28. Does Love Count As A Drug?

After what must have been hours of CPU tomfoolery, Noire and Blanc finally departed to their nations, along with their sisters, of course. This left only the small group of Neptune, Nepgear, Vert, Histoire and Chika at the site of the grand race, overlooking the majesty of the canyon the two CPUs had used as their racing grounds.

"Welp, I guess we should probably head off soon, too," Neptune began, her eyes focusing on the slowly falling sun.

"I suppose so," said Vert, "Funny, we started rather early in the day. It seems that we have a knack for losing track of time when all four of us come together." The green CPU smiled to herself as she sat up and dusted herself off, Neptune following suit right after. With a quick glance, she saw that Chika was very close to falling asleep on the back of the green chickenbo. Luckily, the green fowl didn't seem to mind this and did its best to ensure the woman didn't fall off by accident. "My, it seems Igny has taken a liking to Chika."

"Ooh, you already names yours? I still have to think of a name for mine," said Neptune, "Oh yeah! Histy, can we keep him?"

"Neptune, it is a wild anima-"

"I'm gonna keep him."

"Could you at least let me finish? Animals require a lot of care and-"

"Nepgear! Remind me to stock up on greens so we can feed the big guy. Now we just need a good name for him..." Bringing a hand to her chin, Neptune took the moment to think of a name befitting of such a purple fowl. Then, as if struck by inspiration, the short purplette snapped her fingers and pointed at the fowl creature excitedly. "Caelus! That's what we'll call him! Caelus! Your name is now Caelus, big guy!"

The purple chickenbo now known as Caelus clucked and nodded its head bemusedly, seemingly pleased by its newly given name. Meanwhile, Histoire was rubbing her temples out of frustration. Caelus tried to calm her down a bit by letting the small fairy ride on his head, but that didn't really do anything to alleviate her feelings on the situation. "Why do I even bother?"

"U-Um… If it helps at all, I'll make sure to keep an eye on him as much as possible," Nepgear chimed in, even if it did nothing for Histoire's growing headache. "I'm sure getting food for him won't be an issue and… Sis, I think Histoire is just went into standby mode."

"Ah, that's no biggie," said Neptune, "I'm sure she'll get used to having Caelus around in no time. I mean, his feathers are so soft," she reasoned, only to receive a deadpan look from Vert.

"Just be sure to take him on walks as frequently as possible," Vert chimed in, "We have numerous gardens around the Leanbox basilicom, so that wouldn't be an issue for myself, but I don't think keeping him around the Planeptower for too long would be very healthy for him."

"I know, I know. We have those in Planeptune, too," Neptune responded before turning her attention over to Nepgear, "Nepgear, think you and Histy can go on ahead of me? Don't worry, I just want to talk with Verty a little bit; I'll catch up with you as soon as we're done." The request took Nepgear by surprise, but being the kind of girl she was, Nepgear agreed with little persuasion.

"I understand. Just, please don't take too long?"

"We'll be done before you know it."

With that said, Nepgear gave her sister a nod before settling on Caelus' back. After a bit of nudging, and adjusting to the purple fowl's back, the purple sister casually rode off into the sunset with Histoire's tome in hand, leaving the two CPUs to talk.

And so, Neptune turned to Vert… and offered her hand to the taller woman. "Well, I guess this is where we part ways for now, Verty buddy. We ended up staying for a lot longer than I expected, but I still think it was nice having all of us together again."

"It seems we agree on that," Vert responded, taking her fellow CPU's hand in her own. For a brief moment, the two merely stared at one another, before they finally shook hands like any friends would. Upon letting go, they smiled. "I can't say I'm really happy with this outcome, but… it seems as though even Nepgear herself was rooting for you. This victory is yours, Neptune."

"Oh? You're taking this a lot better than I expected."

"Well, perhaps I knew deep down that Nepgear wanted to stay with you, even if she herself didn't," Vert reasoned, "I was still set on winning, don't get me wrong, but it's like you said – your love for Nepgear was stronger than mine. I became attached to her since she always seemed like the ideal little sister, young, responsible and kind, someone who I wanted to spoil and someone I could trust to look after me as well.

"But for you, she gave you a new reason to live. She _became_ your reason to live for the longest time; it was no wonder I lost, given all of that." For once, Neptune was being very quiet as Vert spoke. It wasn't often one got to see such a side of the CPU, but then again, Neptune had been showing a lot more of herself, thanks to Nepgear, so this really shouldn't be much of a surprise at this point. And yet, even so... "Even so, you did still forget all of that for a time. A very long time, as a matter of fact. I will step aside and stop interfering, but only if you can promise not to forget that ever again."

"…" A beat. No answer came at first, as Neptune cast her gaze to the sky. "Well, you know me. I tend to lose my memory way more often than I'd like to," Vert scowled, as if she wanted to scold her fellow Goddess, but it vanished as quickly as it came, as she was met with a look of fierce determination from the usually reserved Neptune. "But for Nepgear… I'll write it all over the basilicom's walls if I have to. I don't care how much Histy, or Iffy, or even Compa, yell at me for it. I already made up my mind to show Nepgear the love she deserves, and then some!"

"I see… Then I guess nothing more need be said here..." Vert turned to greet her green fowl. By this point, Chika had completely fallen asleep on Igny's back with a content expression. It was almost cute… if not for the drool crawling down her cheek, but still! The green CPU made her way over to her newfound friend and mounted him without a word, preparing to depart at once. But, she hesitated with Neptune's next line.

"You know, today was actually kind of fun. It's been a while since we actually had fun together, hasn't it? ...Maybe we should do this again sometime."

"...I" Vert didn't turn around to look at Neptune. For whatever reason, only she knew. "I think I would like that." Without another word, Vert commanded Igny to take off. It was only a matter of seconds until Neptune had vanished from sight. "Friends, you say? ...I wasn't sure if you'd still considered me one..." Not another word was said on Vert's journey back to the basilicom.

As for Neptune, though… Well, she decided to stick around for a little longer, watching as her friend's silhouette eventually vanished from sight. Looking In the opposite direction, she could still make out the figure of her sister, casually riding off on Caelus. Neptune stayed in place for a moment longer, making sure Vert was really gone, before finally deciding to go catch up to her sister… Or rather, her lover.

"Guess I better not keep her waiting any longer," she said to no one in particular. Focusing the energy in her body, Neptune proceeded to transform and was engulfed in a warm light and then… Nothing! "Huh…? Wait, don't tell me I exhausted so much of my energy that I can't transform…? Aw, come on! Nepgear! Nepgear, wait for me! I need a ride, too!"

 **-~-~-~- _Purple Lovers_ -~-~-~-**

"Well, this is a little embarrassing," said Neptune, "You sure you can't carry all of us home, Nep Jr.?"

"No!" came the instant reply from Nepgear, "If it was just you and Histoire, I might be able to do it, but Caelus is just too heavy to bring along. We should just wait until you've regained enough energy to transform and then go home." The purple chickenbo frowned; evidently, the subject of its weight was very touchy one for the purple fowl.

"Nepgear! You can't just talk about a chickenbo's weight like that. They're even more sensitive about that stuff than we are," Neptune chastised.

"Oh! I'm sorry, I didn't mean it like that, Caelus," Nepgear hurriedly tried to explain, "I just meant I'm not strong enough to carry all of us home, is all. I didn't mean to offend you." The purple fowl seemed to cheer up a bit thanks to that, clucking as if accepting Nepgear's apology. "Goodness, I can't wait to get home," she said with a sigh.

"You know," Neptune began, "It's actually kind of nice out here, don't you think?" The CPU waved a hand across the air, as if to bring attention to their surrounding's beauty. Indeed, it was a sight to behold. They were on the very precipice of where the The Great Chasm ended and where a neighboring forest began. From there, they could see the shark-head mountain that had acted as the earlier race's destination, looking as it if was swallowing the sun. "And, uh… You remember how I said we should really start going on dates?"

"What do you... Oh!" It didn't take long for Nepgear to catch on to what Neptune was getting at. Even if it wasn't obvious enough, the caring and almost shy look Neptune was giving her would've given it away. She knew this, but at the same time… "N-No!"

"I mean, it's such a nice place to spend some time together and- Come again?" Neptune asked, incredulous.

"I just… I want our first real date to be something more... special," Nepgear bashfully admitted. She crossed her arms behind her and shyly kicked her boot into the dirt beneath her. "I know it's selfish of me, but I want our first date to be more romantic, more memorable," she partially lied.

"Aw, but I thought this was plenty romantic," Neptune whined. Nepgear actually kind of agreed with her, too, even if it was done in the aftermath of one of the silliest things she'd ever seen. "Though, if that's really how you feel… then I guess I can wait. And, I guess it would be kind of weird to have our first date with a sleeping Histy on top of a big purple chickenbo… No offense, Caelus."

Caelus clucked, as if to say "none taken."

"Thank you, Neptune," said Nepgear. She felt a bit guilty for partially lying to her sister like that, but… she also didn't think it would be fair of her to have her first real date with Neptune while her mind was still so heavily distracted by everything Noire had told her not too long ago. "I promise I'll make this up to you when we do have our first proper date."

"Yeah, yeah," said Neptune, "I'm just surprised you're so shy about a date. You didn't look nervous at all when you started making out with me in front the others."

"Th-That was just in the heat of the moment!" Nepgear defended, "I wasn't thinking when I saw you won, so I just sort of..."

"Sort of what?"

"I-It's nothing! Please stop teasing me already!"

"No can do! Teasing Noire was one of my favorite pastimes, but ever since we started going steady, teasing you's been even more fun than that."

"You sound like a drug addict!"

"Does love count as a drug?"

"Neptune, please!"

"Alright, alright. I'll knock it off… For now."

Neptune chuckled to herself for a minute. It took a while for her to really get back to her more serious – or rather, more casual mode. After a few minutes, the CPU stopped to look at her hand, giving it a squeeze before looking Nepgear in the eyes.

"Well, I think I should've recovered enough energy to transform again. How's about we finally go home and relax?"

"That sounds great right about now."

"Then let's get moving!"

Without missing a beat, Neptune took on her alter ego of Purple Heart and, after securing Caelus into a makeshift net of sorts, the two group took flight towards their home. It would be a while before they made it back, made all the slower because of the extra cargo, but none of them really minded.

They were happy for the time being, and that was all that mattered to them in that moment. But, even still, Noire's words still echoed in the back of Nepgear's head the entire time, and they wouldn't be going away anytime soon.

 **-~-~-~- _Purple Lovers_ -~-~-~-**

 **A/N: And there you go! Double-update this time. Ready for the new arc? Let me know what you thought of the set-up to it in a review. It won't be too long, I promise; so look forward to it. Caelus is best fowl!**


	29. Short Detour!

"Gust feels cheated!" the short alchemist cried out from the confines of her little atelier. "Ever since found out potion's effects, have tried to sell and promote product. Was supposed to be simple, marketing was handled with care, even did some tweaks to improve benefits to boost customer satisfaction, but sales have still been minimal!"

"Well, maybe it would've been a better idea to sell it closer to Valentine's day?" the heroine of justice, Nisa offered. Unfortunately, Gust seemed to agree with her.

"Why didn't Gust think of that?!" She agreed so hard that it almost scared Nisa. "Gust thought the temptation of peeking into others' hearts would be enough, but was too hasty to make extra money after discovering potion's full effects… Stupid Gust!"

"Hey, look on the bright side, Gusty," Nisa interrupted the brunette's self lament, "We helped bring two couples together."

"Two?" Gust repeated, "Potion was tested on 3 people. What happened with IF and Compa?"

"Well, I haven't actually heard from them since then," Nisa explained, "We already know for a fact that Ms. Cave and 5pb. are happy together, and I also heard rumors that Lady Neptune confessed her feelings to Lady Nepgear, though given what the Neptune fan club is like... Now, as far as Ms. IF and Compa go, I've only heard small tidbits from IF's fellow Guild operatives, but I still don't know what went on between them after you made her drink that potion."

"Hopefully things are better for them than they are for Gust," said the brunette. With a sigh, the child-sized woman sat up from her chair and… Almost made Nisa bust a lung with laughter at the realization that the woman's own _chair_ was taller than her. It was difficult, but Nisa was able to restrain herself from actually bursting out into laughter like a hyena thanks to some incredible willpower. "Is Nisa alright?"

"Yup… I'm fine!" That was a lie, but Nisa was _pretty_ sure Gust wouldn't appreciate being laughed at for her height… again... For the seventh time... After a few seconds of some very deep breaths, Nisa got back her bearings and put on one of her best, award-winning smiles. "Let's not dwell on the negatives! The love potion thing might not have worked out, but we can always try something else!"

"...Gust supposes you have a point."

"Exactly! We've done out part in the story, so let's get on with something new. I've always wanted to try making a potion with enough zest and kick to match my passion for justice!"

"Gust supposes we can- Wait, what is this about our part being over?"

"To the mixing bowl!"

"It's a cauldron! Also, what is this about-"

"Whatever!"

"Answer Gust's question! Does this mean we won't be in story anymore?"

"Yup!"

"What?! But Gust hasn't even been paid for-" And she never would. "Let Gust Fini-"

 **-~-~-~- _Purple Lovers_ -~-~-~-**

Letting out a great, big sigh, IF sank into the comfort of the train seat she currently found herself sitting on. Thanks to the Planeptune's advanced technology and efforts into making their public transport as comfortable as possible, just about every train, bus and other public transit was tidy and affordable. And yet, despite this fact… "I still like my bike better," IF thought aloud.

While IF had to admit that taking the train was probably more efficient, and really comfortable – she could probably fall asleep on her seat if she wasn't careful – she just loved going fast on her bike and feeling the wind blowing against her hair. You just couldn't get that kind of feeling from taking the train, after all.

"I guess this is nice every once in a while, but today would've been a perfect day to go out on a drive," she mused aloud with a glance out the window. "Argh! Why did my bike have to break down now of all times? It's going to take at least a week to get it back in working condition, and that's being generous."

The sound of an automated bell chime broke the brunette from her thoughts.

" **Attention passengers! We have arrived at the** **Planeptune Central Station! Please remember to grab your bags before exiting the train!** "

"Guess that's my cue to leave," IF said aloud. She didn't have any bags to speak of, so she simply made her way off the train and stopped to stretch her tired muscles for a bit. From there, she walked to a nearby grocery store and bought some eggs and milk before walking around and making her way towards a small house relatively close to the Planeptune basilicom. "I wonder how those two are doing? Haven't talked to either of them in a while," IF muttered to herself.

Shrugging her shoulders, IF made her way to the door and gave it a quick knock. "Coming!" A cheerful voice called from inside. After a few seconds, the door swung open to reveal the cheerful face of the nurse-in-training, Compa. "Welcome home, Iffy! You're early. How was work?" the girl greeted, taking the bags from IF's hands. "Thanks for getting some milk. We were starting to run out."

"Hey Compa. Work was alright," IF greeted, stepping inside and sliding her boots off on her way in, "It was a pretty tame day, all things considered. There wasn't much to do on the intelligence side of things, so a few of us got sent home early. Some of the others decided to stick around to help the main staff handle all the adventurers coming in to take quests, though."

"I see. I guess that means we get to spend a bit more time together," Compa cheered from inside the kitchen. The nurse girl couldn't see it, but she had made IF blush just a little from the cheerful remark alone. "Are you hungry yet, Iffy? I was going to wait to make lunch, but if you want I can make us an omelette, or something else."

"I'm good for now," replied IF.

"Okie dokie." After a minute or so, Compa came back from the kitchen and took a seat on the couch next to IF. She smiled at the brunette before asking, "So, how are you getting used to living together, Iffy?"

"W-Well, it's taken a while, but I finally stopped walking to my old place out of habit," IF bashfully admitted, "I even learned some of the shortcuts to get here, too, so I think I'm getting used to it… I hope."

"Well, that's good," said Compa, "It's been a few weeks since we moved in together. I was nervous you wouldn't be able to get used to it, so I'm so glad you're happy, Iffy." Giving one of her trademark smiles, Compa sent IF's heart aflutter with the simple gesture. She then reached for the remote to the TV and turned it on with a simple click. The two decided to pass the rest of their time by watching some of their favorite shows together.

As the TV sprung to life, a single, very mean-looking black cat with a toy sword strapped to its back came on screen. It was walking into a hallway filled with several bodies of cats, implied to all be "dead," but were clearly just napping if one paid enough attention. "What...the hell?" said the black cat in a very masculine and deep voice.

"What the… This seems familiar somehow? Is this show what I think it is?" IF thought aloud, "But why are all the characters cats all of a sudden?"

"Oh! This must be the infamous Cat Theatre I've been hearing about all over Chirper!" Compa said aloud.

"Cat Theatre?"

"Yeah! It's a show where they have cats act out scenes from really big anime series."

"Who in their right mind came up with _that_ idea?"

"It was Nep-Nep."

"Nep did- Ugh… I really shouldn't be surprised… Ah, whatever! I guess if it gets the series more attention it's probably a good thing."

"I don't think I've ever watched this show before. All I know is that Mr. Black Swordsman is really angry. Oh, but I did hear the theme song; it's really catchy."

"You don't say?"

"Yeah! So put your grasses on, nothing will be wrong! There's no shape, there's no blame, it's up to you!"

"Uh… C-Compa, it's 'glasses', not 'grasses'."

"Really? I just thought Mr. Black Swordsman was a vegetarian or something."

"...Let's just watch the show, okay?"

"Okie dokie."

Back to the show, the black cat had arrived upon a large room lined with several pillars and littered with the bodies of several other cats. Off in a corner of the room, there stood a very tall cat, only illuminated by the light given off by one of the many candles throughout the room. Turning to face its new intruder, the larger, grey-ish cat stared at the black cat with a pair of piercing red eyes that practically oozed with bloodlust.

However, as the taller cat had turned, the black cat noticed something. Its fellow cats had been impaled (taped) upon the grey cat's sword (tube of cardboard)! "RRRRAAAAAAGGGGHHHHH!" The black cat went into a furious rage, charging the taller cat like a madcat. All it took was a single swing from the grey cat's sword to send the black cat flying backwards, crashing against a wall. " _Argh…_ _What… What the hell is that?_ " the black cat thought to itself.

"You evaded my attack successfully. Well done," the grey cat complimented, already preparing for its next attack. It swung its mighty blade upon its opponent, putting a great deal of pressure against the black cat. Though the black cat fought valiantly, the grey cat proved far stronger, and equally as skilled with a blade. And yet, it stopped for a moment, admiring the black cat's tenacity. "Impressive."

"It's a monster."

"Oh, my gosh! That was so intense, Iffy!"

"I'll say. I'm surprised they made a fight between two cats look so cool."

"I'm not so sure the grey one's really a cat, Iffy. It looks more like a mini tiger to me!"

"Does that make the black cat a mini wolf or something?"

"...Oh my gosh-"

"I was joking Compa."

"Hahahaha. During the last 50 years not a single warrior has been able to defend against my attack, except for you!" the grey cat complimented with a bemused smirk. By this point, the black cat was struggling to catch its breath as it eyed its opponent. Deciding to take desperate measures, the black cat shifted its stance. "Oh? You intend to gamble your life on a single strike?"

The grey cat let out a menacing laugh.

"You're relying on the strength of your blade to launch one final attack. But your logic is flawed. Your brains will be scattered before your sword reaches my body. Interesting. I accept your challenge."

"Iffy! That big cat scares me!"

"It's just a cat, Compa! And it's not like it can hurt you!"

"But still!"

The two cats swung their swords at one another. In that single moment, the grey cat's sword was broken in two. The black cat followed through by piercing the larger cat in the chest, drawing blood (ketchup) from its foe and letting out a cocky smirk.

"Ah… This is the first time…" All of a sudden, the grey cat grabbed the blade barehanded and began to undergo some kind of change. "I have been so deeply..." It's body began to change color to a darker brown color and began to expand in size. The black cat could do nothing but watch in fear as the other cat transformed into something else. "Hurt by a **cat**! " Where once the grey cat was, stood a tall, ferocious, brown, tiger with horns.

"Huh… I guess you were right about the tiger thing, Compa… Compa?"

"EEEEEEPPP!"

"Y-You alright there?"

"SCARY! SCARY! SCARY! SCARY! SCARY! IT'S BIG! AND TERRIFYING! I DON'T LIKE IT, IFFY!"

"Ah, geez, I get it. You don't have to shriek in my ear, you know," IF sighed, "So, what then? Do you want to keep watching or…?"

"I want to stop, but I can't!" Compa replied, practically tearing up with fear, "I want to know what happens to Mr. black cat."

" **For the past 300 years I have lived for this! Now! Fight me! You mustn't let me down!** "

"Even its voice is scarier!"

The hulking tiger tossed the black cat aside like a rag doll with a single swipe, sending it falling to the ground once more. It then unleashed a mighty roar into the sky. "A monster like this can't exist… Not in real life..."

What had been a battle for survival had quickly turned into a one-sided beatdown. The black cat was tossed around like a feather over and over again until it was barely able to defend itself. There was little more it could do but watch as the beast bared its fangs upon its tiny frame.

" **What is this? Are you giving up?** " No answer came as the black cat had seemingly resigned itself to its fate. " **Is this the limit to your strength!? Is that it?!** " The tiger grabbed the black cat and picked it up by the shoulders. " **Well, I suppose you've done admirably for a cat. But if you cannot fight anymore, I will tear you limb from limb!** "

The sounds of screams filled the room, echoing across the walls. All hope appeared lost for the black cat, until a new sound filled the room. The sound of projectiles flying through the air tore through the screams as a volley of arrows (rubber balls) found their way into the tiger's body, stealing its attention from the black cat. With a glance, the beast saw a small platoon of cats with crossbows (slingshots), but what caught the beast's attention was a single cat standing in the middle of it all. The lone white cat, its fur flowing majestically, even without any wind.

"Purrfith..." the black cat called out. As the beast bared down upon the white cat and its men, the screen faded to black with music playing in the background.

"WHAT?! They can't end it there!" Compa cried out, "Oh, no, Iffy! That big mean tiger is going to eat Mr. black cat… And then it's going to eat Mr. white cat… OH MY GOOOOOOOO-"

"Oh, my goddess, Compa!"

 **-~-~-~- _Purple Lovers_ -~-~-~-**

"So you're sure Mr. black cat and white cat are going to be okay?"

"Yes, Compa."

"Really, really?"

"Yes, really."

After the little television special had concluded, it had taken a while for IF to get Compa to calm down – a lot longer than IF would have liked, but the deed had been done. Still IF couldn't help but let out a small sigh. To say that she hadn't expected that to put Compa on edge so badly would be an understatement.

"I sure hope you're right about that, Iffy," said Compa, still looking more than a little worried, "Mr. black cat was really tough, but Mr. white cat was so much smaller. I'm scared that he might not make it."

"Still worried, huh?" IF groaned, "Seriously, don't worry about it. He might not look like much of a fighter, but that white cat's probably the most vicious one of them all. He might be up against a real monster, but it's the small, nice ones that you really have to watch out for. It's like the saying goes "a cornered fox is more dangerous than a jackal," or something like that."

"I've heard that one. My grandpa used to say that all the time," Compa recounted.

"Well, there you go, then. Anyway, we've been talking about this for a while now and it looks like it's getting close to lunchtime," IF observed with a glance towards a nearby clock on the wall. She could've sworn she almost heard Compa's stomach grumble just then, but it might have just been her imagination.

"Oh! I'm so sorry, Iffy!" Compa apologized, "I lost track of time! I'll go whip us up something to eat right away!"

"You don't need to apologize," IF assured, "You just worry too much about the smallest details. Now, come on; I'll give you a hand in the kitchen if you want."

"Oh… N-No, that's okay," Compa awkwardly declined the offer.

"What? Is something wrong?"

"It's just… The last time you tried to help out… Food isn't supposed to look like dark matter, Iffy. I don't think even Nep-Nep would be capable of making something like _that_. Whatever it was."

IF blushed so hard she could have easily been mistaken for a tomato at the mention of those memories. She almost wished she _was_ a tomato so she wouldn't have to feel so embarrassed. "I… I'm a worse cook than Nep…? No way..." The brunette fell to the floor and sulked over the revelation. She had liked to think she was pretty decent, but as it turns out, she was not. "I don't believe it..."

"W-Well… I'll just go whip us up something real quick. You just… Sit back and relax a bit, I guess. I'll call you when it's ready."

"Yeah… Okay..."

After a while, all IF could do was sigh to herself. She could hear the sound of Compa humming from inside the kitchen while she prepared some food for the two of them. It was hard to stay upset while hearing such an angelic voice, so IF decided to let it go and waited patiently for the peach-haired nurse to finish. In the meantime, the brunette reached for her phone and started scrolling through her messages and checking some stuff online. What she saw, however, took her by surprise.

"Whoa. Some of Planeptune's shares went down again..." IF sighed, "Of course. I bet Nep's been slacking off again. It has been a while since we've gone to see her, so maybe… No, Compa and I promised we'd go see them after we got more accustomed to things here. She'd be really upset if we didn't get the chance to surprise them with the fact that we're dating and all… Sorry, Nep, I guess you're on your own for a little while longer. Though, you've got Nepgear, so I probably don't need to worry too much."

Without another word, IF shut her phone and put it back in her pocket, choosing to get her mind off of it by watching a bit more TV while Compa finished cooking. And thus concludes the brief look into IF and Compa's new daily routine as a couple. Over at the Planeptower, things weren't quite as relaxed for the purple sisters.


	30. The Taming of The Nep!

Histoire scowled as she looked over the holographic charts floating in front of her. "To think that we would lose this amount of shares during this whole debacle between sisters." The fairy let out a sigh as she waved the screens away. "I suppose this is partially my own fault for not paying more attention to such things while all of this was going on. At least it shouldn't take too long to recover our lost shares… I hope."

"Good morning, Histoire," a groggy voice greeted from behind. It was Nepgear, fighting back a yawn but ultimately failing in the end. "You're up a bit earlier than usual. Is something the matter?" the candidate asked after taking a moment to stretch her arms. To this, Histoire let out another sigh.

"Put simply, Planeptune has lost some shares… again," Histoire dryly explained, "It seems as though the ruins where Falcom ran into Neptune let loose some very dangerous beasts into the land after they collapsed. They have since been exterminated, but to think that we were so caught up in all this drama that we didn't even notice the decline." This seemed to catch Nepgear's attention. The girl blinked a bit as the information settled, before adopting an almost solemn look on her face. No doubt the girl must have felt a bit guilty hearing that, Histoire assumed. "I know what you are thinking, Nepgear. You needn't worry yourself over this. It is not your fault."

"..." Nepgear said nothing in response, instead choosing to stare at the blonde fairy with an almost surprised look to her. She probably hadn't expected Histoire to be able to read her so easily. But, of course, Histoire had been looking after the girl since her birth, so it was only natural. By extension, Histoire also had a good idea what to say to calm her down as well.

"Nepgear, it is almost time for breakfast. If you'd like, I can assist you," Histoire offered. Just as she'd expected, Nepgear perked up a bit at that, nodding slowly before making her way towards the kitchen area. "I guess… We really have been slacking because of all of this, haven't we?" Nepgear began, "How much did our shares drop, if you don't mind my asking?"

"Well..." Histoire hesitated for a bit, but she knew she'd have to spill the beans at some point. "We have gone from 11% global shares to about 8%"

"Goodness! That much?! How much damage did those monsters cause?!" Nepgear practically shrieked in disbelief, "Is that why Neptune was having trouble transforming back then?" she wondered aloud. Now that Histoire thought about it, it was a bit odd that Neptune would have needed to recharge when she'd hardly used much energy that day. "In hindsight, I've been feeling a little more sluggish than usual, too. I guess we'll have to put in some hard work to earn our shares back."

Histoire smiled to herself at that. "That's the spirit, Nepgear! ...Let's just hope your sister will feel similarly," the fairy grumbled. Even Nepgear had to silently agree with her, chuckling awkwardly at the thought. "The biggest downside is that most quests at the guild lately have been very small and nigh inconsequential. Which means we'd either have to complete several of them or..."

"Paperwork?"

"Paperwork."

"...Looks like I'll have to make something extra special to help Neptune through the day."

With that in mind, the two Planeptunian girls went about preparing a breakfast fit for a queen. They made sure to bring out the best stuff in the pantry for Neptune to chow down on. They were going to make sure to bring their A game in order to make this a successful day of questing, paperwork, or whatever else Neptune decided to do to earn shares!

"Also… Let's not tell Neptune about the monsters. If she hears that, she will undoubtedly start thinking it was her own fault for letting them loose."

"I understand. I was just thinking the same thing myself."

"I'm glad we're on the same page on that."

 **-~-~-~- _Purple Lovers_ -~-~-~-**

"Nepgear?"

"Yes, Histoire?"

"How long ago did we buy those ingredients?"

"I don't remember."

"Did you happen to see the expiration date on any of them?"

"No, did you?"

"It feels there's a ball of fire in my stomach!"

"I'm afraid I did not."

One would think it was just common sense to look at the expiration date on one's food before actually using it to cook, but funnily enough, people have an innate tendency to overlook the small details. This was a lesson that Nepgear and Histoire had now become all too aware of, as they witnessed Neptune rolling around on the ground, clutching her stomach like something was going to burst out at any moment.

"Urp… I think something's starting to come back up."

"Histoire, where do keep our medicine?"

"Second shelf from the left."

With all the efficiency of a well-oiled machine, Nepgear grabbed the medicine and was already putting a spoonful of it to her sister's lips in a matter of seconds. It took a few seconds for it to settle in the CPU's stomach, but after a good chug of water, Neptune seemed to settle down a bit.

"Guh… I never thought something so delicious could be so deadly," Neptune gibed as she put a hand to her stomach. Just to be on the safe side, Nepgear gave her one more spoonful of medicine, though Neptune did stick out her tongue in dissatisfaction of the taste. Still, it was nothing another good drink of water couldn't fix.

"I guess we'll just have to push back our plans to go out questing for another day," Nepgear thought aloud.

"Then we shall have to compensate for that by doing some paperwork in place of that," Histoire chimed in. Of course, Neptune's reaction was almost immediate.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Hold up!" the purple CPU requested – nay, demanded, "Let's not get too hasty now. It's just a little stomachache is all, I'll be fine in no time." As if to prove her point, Neptune stood up and made a motion like she was throwing a few punches and kicks to make it seem like she was fine. Of course, it didn't help that she was already looking very winded after only a few seconds of it. "See…?" Neptune said while panting, "I can… I can handle a few quests…"

"Neptune," Nepgear started in a tired voice. However, Neptune interrupted before she could continue.

"Okay… So maybe I'm not doing so hot right _now_ ," Neptune admitted, "But just give me an hour or two and I'm sure I'll be ready to get back on the horse," she insisted. Nepgear and Histoire only responded with a shared, stern expression directed at the purple CPU. "I mean, come on, it's real peaceful today and most of the quests available are super easy, right? Then it shouldn't be a problem."

"Perhaps," Histoire agreed, "But you would still have to do a large number of them to restore our shares. Doing so would undoubtedly be a very taxing endeavor, and may make you feel even worse. As such, paperwork would be our best option for the time being."

"I have to agree with Histoire on this one, Neptune," Nepgear chimed in, "It hurts me to see you in this state. It would break my heart if you overexerted yourself out on quests. We can save the quests for tomorrow, if you're feeling better, but I'm not letting you go out today in this condition."

There was nothing more Neptune could think to say to convince Nepgear otherwise. The candidate spoke with a sense of finality and stood firm and resolute; she was not going to budge on this matter. Even so, Neptune kept staring at her, looking back and forth between her and Histoire, until she finally let her head sink and said, "All right. You win."

The purple sister let her lips curve into a smile. She stepped closer and raised her sister's eyes to meet them with her own. "Don't worry, sis," she cheerfully exclaimed, "I'll help you as much as I can. We can take plenty of breaks and I can make use tea, too." This seemed to lift Neptune's spirits just a bit, as she offered a small smile.

"If you'd like I can order some take-out," Histoire offered with a tiny phone in her hand. Though, the two sisters seemed to be more curious how and when she'd found such a tiny phone. "There's a shop that opened up nearby a few weeks ago, and while relatively new I have heard many good things about their pizza."

"Pizza sounds good," a drooling Neptune said before wincing and clutching at her stomach again, "Urk… Maybe save it for after my belly settles down a bit. Looks like it's still a mess in there and I don't want to just vomit it all back out after I eat."

"Fair enough. Would you like something as well, Nepgear?"

"I don't really mind. We can let Neptune decide."

"At any rate, we should begin as soon as possible. Once Neptune's stomach settles down, we can begin in earnest."

"I think I'll go make us some tea in the meantime. Neptune, you should just take it easy for now."

"Way ahead of you."

 **-~-~-~- _Purple Lovers_ -~-~-~-**

A few hours had passed since morning, indicated by the sun having settled high in the sky. Through the sky, a lone, green star dashed across the heavens at great speed. The speeding figure began to slow down upon catching sight of the large tower standing at the heart of the nation, the Planeptower. Once close enough, the green star slowed and landed down upon the tower's balcony, being engulfed in light and reverting to her human form.

Being a bit tired from the flight over, Vert took the chance to do a few quick stretches then and there. In doing so, Vert let out a sigh of relief. It was a nice way to loosen up her muscles after the long flight from her own nation to Neptune's.

After she was done outside, Vert let herself into the basilicom's living quarters after knocking and waiting a few seconds. Neptune hardly ever showed that kind of courtesy, but that didn't mean Vert had to mimic her. To her surprise, it was actually very quiet inside, as she could see nobody around. Vert figured they were probably in Neptune's room, or possibly in her office – though, she really doubted the latter option – so she decided to check her fellow CPU's room first. On her way there, however, she heard voices echoing through the halls.

Apparently, everyone being in Neptune's office _wasn't_ such a far-fetched idea, after all. Standing (and floating) outside of the purple CPU's office were Nepgear and Histoire, looking very... panicked, for some reason.

"What the goodness is happening right now?! Is Neptune all right?! _Is_ that even Neptune anymore?!" Nepgear frantically asked.

"I think-" **Bang!** The sound of something banging against the door cut Histoire off. Nepgear instinctively reacted by bracing her back against the door to keep whatever was inside from breaking out. "Um… As I was saying, I think all this work may have driven Neptune a little insane."

"A _little_?!" Nepgear asked, flabbergasted.

"This tends to happen when she feels stressed out over doing too much paperwork. But I have never seen it happen this quickly!"

Upon closer inspection, Vert noticed that Nepgear was wearing a sleeveless version of her usual attire and had fashioned her hair into a ponytail, held in place by a yellow ribbon like the one around her neck. Small details aside, neither Nepgear, nor Histoire, seemed to notice that Vert was there staring at them. Not like it really mattered since the green CPU's eyes were drawn to the wriggling and shaking door keeping Neptune trapped in her office.

"Have I come at a bad time?" Vert asked, finally making her presence known. "I don't think doors are meant to bend like that."

"Vert! I was not expecting-" **Whap!** "Guests today," Histoire sweatdropped, nervously staring at the door to Neptune's office.

"H-Hello, Vert. What brings you here today?" Nepgear asked politely, if a bit shakily.

"I had come to discuss a potential collaboration with Neptune, but it seems that may not be possible at the moment," Vert sighed. She didn't know the full situation, but it was clear that talking to Neptune in this state would prove futile. "It would be rather problematic to have come all this way for nothing, though, so I suppose I should lend a hand."

"Oh, thank you so much! Your help would be greatly- where are you going?" Histoire watched with wide eyes as Vert walked away, for seemingly no reason at all. Even more importantly, Nepgear stared at her with her trademark fish eyes and blocky mouth, her "funny face" as Neptune called it. "Vert?! The door is back here! VERT?!" **Whap!**

"What the goodness! She just left us?!" Nepgear shrieked.

"Argh. I was hoping it wouldn't come to this, but I suppose we don't have much choice now."

"Wait… You don't mean…? But that would-"

"I am aware, but I don't think we have that luxury right-"

"I'm back," Vert interrupted. The two Planeptune natives immediately stared at her, almost vindictively. However, their ire quickly gave way to confusion as they realised Vert was holding some kind of stick (possibly a snack of some kind) in her hand. "You can let her out now, if you'd like. I'll handle this myself."

"..."

"..."

"I'm serious."

Both Nepgear and Histoire stared at Vert like she was crazy. And perhaps she was, but that wasn't important right now. In the brief moment that the two were focusing on Vert, Nepgear was pushed back and the door opened just enough for a hand to reach out. "Huaaaah?!" Histoire let out a shriek as she was pulled inside and the door slammed shut once more.

"Histoire!" Nepgear called. She and Vert rushed to the door and swung it open. They were met by the sight of Neptune standing over the fireplace, fully prepared to throw Histoire in. "What the goodness! Neptune, what's gotten into you?!" The purple CPU faltered, stopped by the candidate's voice.

" **Grrrrr!** " Neptune jumped to the side like a frightened cat and growled at her friends, sounding (and looking) more like a miniature tiger than a Goddess. It was almost as if Neptune had been born into a streak of tigers, but was later taken in by the basilicom and trained to become a Goddess, Vert thought to herself. In hindsight, that sounded a lot like something Blanc would come up with for one of her "stories," if they even had a right to be called that.

"What the goodness! She just growled at me!" More than that, Neptune looked as if she was ready to pounce at any moment, the spitting image of a wild beast of prey. "Neptune, please calm down!"

"It's all right, Nepgear," Vert assured, putting a hand in front of Nepgear, "Allow me." The green Goddess took a step forward, receiving a nasty glare from the feral Neptune. Her purple orbs eyed Vert up and down like she was sizing up her competition. As Vert took another step forward, Neptune pounced!

"Ms. Vert!" Nepgear called out. She moved to help the green CPU, but as it turns out, her help was unnecessary. To everyone's surprise, Vert grabbed Neptune by her schnozz mid-jump and held her in the air for a second before letting go. As Neptune dropped to the floor on her rump, she hissed at Vert, crouching on all fours. In a flash, Vert brought the stick she'd brought down to Neptune's nose, where the purple CPU curiously started sniffing it curiously.

"What in the..." was all Histoire could think to say at the spectacle occurring before her. Vert waved the stick around, Neptune following it with her nose. The purple CPU went to take a bit of it, but Vert quickly raised it higher, forcing Neptune to jump after it, but to no avail. And just as it looked like Neptune was becoming impatient with the whole ordeal, Vert stuck the odd snack into Neptune's maw, where she gladly chewed into it like a corndog.

"It's pudding flavored. Enjoy~" Vert cooed into the short CPU's ear. Neptune was more than happy to oblige, munching her snack like a kitten. She settled her head on Vert's lap, where the green CPU calmly stroked Neptune's hair, allowing the purple Goddess to fully calm down and leaving Histoire and Nepgear blinking in astonishment at what had just transpired.

"What just-"

"Happened?" Histoire and Nepgear wondered.

"Ah, well you see, this isn't my first time seeing Neptune like this," Vert explained.

"I gathered as much," Histoire replied, "But I have never seen anyone handle her so effectively before." Indeed, Neptune was back to acting like a happy, lazy cat in its master's lap.

"Aw, she looks kind of cute like that," said Nepgear, silently admiring her sister's cat-like behavior. She bent a bit closer to pet the girl, something Neptune was happy to accept as she nuzzled into Nepgear's hand. "I've never seen this side of Neptune before. It's just so..."

"Odd?" Vert asked.

"Fitting," Nepgear answered.

"Oh?" Vert quirked an eyebrow, "Well, I suppose that makes sense. You've been exposed to Neptune's more aloof side since you were born. Whereas, the first time I ever saw Neptune act like this was during the console war, when she was far more serious and rarely showed her more positive side," she reminisced. By this point, Neptune had moved away from Vert and jumped to a nearby couch across from her desk. The purple CPU let out a yawn before settling down for a nap.

"Well, whatever the case, it seems we owe you our thanks, Vert," Histoire began, "Had it not been for you, I would have been a goner."

"Oh come now," Vert started, "We both know you could have just used your magic to incapacitate her."

"I suppose, but I do not think I can risk giving Neptune any more head trauma than I already have."

"You are quite- wait, what do you mean by that last part?"

"I couldn't help it!" Histoire suddenly exploded, "I had never had to raise a child like that by myself! The previous CPUs were always there to help care for newborn CPUs before they officially stepped down! There was no one else there to help me keep an eye on Neptune, so accidents were bound to happen! Neptune was always incredibly strong as well, I JUST COULDN'T HELP IT!"

"..."

"..."

Silence.

"..."

"..."

"This explains so much," Vert finally muttered, several dots finally connecting together in her mind. "Is this what enlightenment feels like?" she wondered aloud. "At any rate, it seems like Neptune has finally calmed down, so perhaps it would be best to leave her be for now."

"Y-Yes, of course!" Histoire cleared her throat, trying to regain her cool. "I-In any case. I once again thank you for your help, Vert." The fairy gave a polite bow in a show of appreciation to the green CPU. "To think that Neptune would end up like this so quickly."

"Well, it makes sense, if you really think about it," Vert claimed to the surprise of both Histoire and Nepgear, "Think about it. She has entered into a new relationship, she had a very major spat with Histoire, she challenged me to a race and now her shares have taken a plunge. To be honest, I'm surprised she's handled it all so well this far."

Histoire and Nepgear's eyes widened in realization. Apparently, Vert wasn't the only one to have a moment of clarity today; at least now she knew what it looked like for sure. "I...never thought about that before," Nepgear mumbled, her eyes shifting focus to Neptune. She brought a hand to her sister's cheeck and stroked her face gently. "Come to think of it, I never did stop to think about what Neptune's been going through."

"Nepgear… It's not your-"

"Please don't!" Nepgear interrupted, surprising the older Goddess. "If you say any more than that, it'll just make me feel even worse. I've just been sitting around this whole time, practically doing nothing, while Neptune's been going so far and doing so much, just for me. All for my sake. And what have I done for her? Nothing."

"..."

"..."

There was another moment of silence between the three. Neither Histoire, nor Vert knew how to react in this situation. All the while, Nepgear quietly stroked Neptune's cheek, eliciting a cute little moan from the CPU. This was all it took to lift Nepgear's spirits, if only a little. "Histoire?" Nepgear finally began.

"Y-Yes? What is it, Nepgear?"

"Do you know any nice hot springs or spas nearby?"

"Um… Oh! Oh, I see." The fairy relaxed from there. Vert, all the while, couldn't help but feel amused by such a reaction. "As a matter of fact, I've heard IF mention many good things about the spa in the Yakuza district. It is a little expensive, but I am sure you two would like it there."

"Do you know their number?"

"It shouldn't be too difficult to find."

"Thank you."

"My, how lucky Neptune is to have someone so caring looking after her," Vert mused aloud, "And now she's asleep, which makes my coming here practically pointless…" Vert sighed to herself, resigning to her fate. Nepgear and Histoire were both quick to offer her a knowing smile, but it did nothing to ease the Leanbox Goddess' woes. However, just then, an idea came to Vert's mind. "Oh! I know! Why don't we try going to the arcades, Nepgear?"

"Um, I don't know about that, Vert," Nepgear replied. Histoire floated closer to the green CPU, staring at her with a raised eyebrow.

"Vert," Histoire began, "You wouldn't be-"

"Goodness, no," Vert quickly defended, bringing her hands up as if pleading her innocence, "I lost and I have accepted that. But that doesn't mean I can't be nice to my friend's little sister. You can come along as well, if you'd like. I'm sure the both of you could use a break as well."

"...Well, I suppose a break could not hurt," Histoire mumbled, "And it has been a few weeks since I last went outside… But then, who would watch over Neptune?"

"As it just so happens, you're in luck," Vert cheerfully declared, taking a cellphone out from in between her breasts. Apparently, when your breasts were large enough, they could be used as an extra pocket. Nepgear made sure to jutt that bit of information down on her notebook that she suddenly pulled out of nowhere. "As you may or may not know, 5pb. has been on tour since last month. And, as it just so happens, she will be staying in Planeptune for a few weeks doing shows around certain towns."

"I see…?" Histoire said, though, it was clear she didn't quite follow where Vert was going with that. "But, what does that have to do with-"

"And!" Vert continued, "Wherever 5pb. goes, Cave is sure to follow." That finally seemed to be enough to clue Histoire _and_ Nepgear onto Vert's intentions. "I'm sure they wouldn't mind keeping watch over our sleeping kitten here. And you know what they say: two heads are better than one."

"Indeed. If Cave is here, then we wouldn't have to worry about anything happening to Neptune while she is asleep."

"Are you sure it's all right, though?" Nepgear asked.

"Not to worry. It's not as though she has a concert _today_ , so there should be no issues there."

"Hm… Well, I guess it shouldn't be a problem in that case," Nepgear mused. Her next glance at Neptune's sleeping form made it clear she was still a bit hesitant, though. "Still, what if something unexpected happens?"

"You worry too much," Vert immediately responded, not missing a beat. "I'll admit, your dedication is admirable, but as Neptune likes to say: all work and no play makes one a dull girl. Live a little. If anything does happen, I'm sure Cave and 5pb. will contact us immediately. Cave is practically trained to expect the unexpected."

"...All right," Nepgear finally agreed, "But if anything happens, I'm coming back to the basilicom immediately."

"Then it's settled!" Vert cheered, "I will call them up so we can go visit the arcade."

"Right. But before that..." Nepgear promptly returned her attention to Neptune. Taking care not to wake the sleeping CPU, Nepgear scooped her arms around Neptune bridal style with a light blush on her face. Seeing this, Vert couldn't help but lean closer, offering a cheeky smirk, making the candidate feel all the more embarrassed. "N...Neptune tends to have trouble sleeping in her office sometimes. I just wanted to move her somewhere more comfortable."

"Is that so?"

"Y-Yes, that's so!"

"Hm…?"

"Vert, please stop teasing Nepgear," Histoire requested, "We may never leave at this point."

"Very well. I shall abide by your request."

"Thank you," Nepgear said to both Vert and Histoire. More importantly, however, "Oh! And, um… Vert?"

"Yes?"

"Please don't tell Neptune about the spa. I want it to be a surprise."

"Oh? Very well then."

"Thank you," Nepgear smiled, taking a step forward with Neptune in her arms. On the way out, she leaned in to give the shorter girl a light peck on the cheek. "You've done so much for me, Neptune. Now it's my turn to do something for you, too."

 **-~-~-~- _Purple Lovers_ -~-~-~-**

Through the busy streets of Planeptune, a lone, lavender-haired girl skipped along the streets, humming joyfully to herself. She lazily carried a plush doll by her side; it was the spitting image of the Planeptune CPU, Neptune. The girl stopped in front of a rather lively park full of children to admire the energetic youth, but it only lasted a moment. Directing her eyes to the massive tower that stood at the heart of the nation, she resumed her journey with a big smile on her lips.


	31. Because She Was Bored!

Neptune's peaceful breathing was the only sound that could be heard within the living quarters of the Planeptune basilicom. Currently, the short-statured CPU was resting in the main living room, laying down on the couch directly in front of the TV with a single blanket and pillow making her sleep all the more comfortable. The lights had even been turned off to ensure she wouldn't be bothered by any of those pesky lights.

Though it may have still been relatively early on in the day, the purple CPU was still snoozing away with all the tranquility of a baby kitten. Every so often she would toss and turn in her sleep, but she always righted herself before she could fall off the couch and bump her noggin, or possibly something else.

Whatever the case, as things stood, Neptune was all set to sleep all the way through the evening until her sister and oracle finally came back home… If not the unexpected wild card that was making its way up the basilicom, that is.

A light 'ding' signified the sound of an elevator arriving onto the CPU's living room floor, and with it, a lone lavender-haired girl stepped out of the elevator. The ditzy, pajama-wearing girl hummed to herself as she made her way around the floor, no doubt looking for something. She came to a stop as she arrived at the living room area, and quickly spotted the form of Planeptune's dormant CPU.

Without hesitation, the intruder approached Neptune's sleeping form and said, "Neeeeeppy! I came to plaaaaaay!"

"Hng!" With a start, the slumbering CPU faced the intruder. She growled with a look on her face that said she wanted to murder whoever had just disturbed her peaceful slumber… Until her grogginess cleared away enough for her to realize who she was looking at. "Neh… Plutia?" Neptune mumbled aloud.

"Yup!" the girl responded. "I got bored, so I came out to play!"

Neptune blinked. "Yeah, that's great and all, but I'm really not feeling up to it right now."

"Eeeeeeh? But I came out all the way here to see you," Plutia interrupted. "It's been so boring and nobody else wants to play with me."

"I'm pretty sure Histy would flip if she found out I left… Speaking of, where the heck did she go?" Neptune wondered aloud, having finally realized the miniature fairy was nowhere in sight. "And why am I sleeping on the couch for that matter? I've got a real mystery on my hands here… Ah, whatever!" After a quick moment of thought, Neptune dropped the matter and went back to laying on the couch.

"Neeeeeppy!" Plutia called out once again. "You can't take a nap now! I want to play!"

"I thought you loved napping," Neptune pointed out. It was true, Plutia almost always preferred to spend her free time sleeping in her own bed, if she wasn't sleeping on the couch… Or her bath tub… And sometimes even while hanging off a tree branch. "You can take the other couch if you want, just-"

"But I don't want to nap today!" Plutia repeated, sounding a bit more annoyed. "I want to do something."

Neptune groaned. She ran a hand through her hair, trying to make an annoyed expression, though, it came out more silly due to her tiredness. "Why did it have to be today of all days? I'm tired, and I don't want to go out today. Please understand, Plutie, I just don't have it in me to be going outside right now. If you still want to go do something, can't it wait for some other day?"

Neptune fought back a groan, though she couldn't hold back a yawn. She was quick to cover her mouth with a hand, her body desperately telling her to go back to sleep. All the while, Plutia had gone quiet, her eyes were covered over by her messy hair and she… That probably wasn't a good sign.

"I want to go out _now_!" Plutia growled, causing Neptune to flinch at the sudden mood shift. "I'm tired of waiting..." Plutia's voice became dangerously low; a glint in her eyes signifying her own irritation. If left unchecked, the lavender-haired CPU could probably transform at any given moment and go wild, and Neptune _definitely_ didn't want that.

"Aaah! Alright, I get it!" Neptune hurriedly chimed in. If nothing else, she could definitely say that this had been an… interesting way to shock her awake. "You just want to go outside, right? Fine, we can go wherever you want, just don't go transforming on me, okay?"

"...Really?" Plutia asked, her eyes seemingly returning to normal.

"Yes, really!" Neptune assured, ignoring the oncoming headache she felt. "But only for an hour or two. _I might die if I stay out for any longer than that,_ " she joked.

"Yay!" Seemingly ignoring Neptune's conditions, Plutia cheered. Without wasting another moment, she grabbed her purple-haired friend and pulled her towards the elevator… Well, maybe it was more like dragged, but regardless, one thing was for certain… Neptune was not going to get through the day without a major headache.

"Ah! ...Sorry, Nepgear. Wish I could call you first, but I guess I'll just play along for now..." Neptune muttered under her breath. "Just wait for me, Nepgear, I'll be back before you know it." She said that, but she didn't feel very confident about her statement. Little did Neptune know, a certain pair of women from Leanbox would arrive shortly after she left with Plutia.

 **-~-~-~- _Purple Lovers_ -~-~-~-**

Stretching her arms above her head, Histoire gave a satisfied sigh. "It feels as though I have not been outside for ages now."

"Actually, I think it's only been… 3 weeks," Nepgear chimed in, her voice trailing off as the realization dawned on her. "Slow even when it comes to taking breaks, huh?" she mumbled under her breath.

"I'm sorry, did you say something, Nepgear?" the fairy asked.

"Oh, no, no, just thinking about how nice it is today," Nepgear nervously responded. Though when she actually stopped to take a look around, she noted that it really was a very nice day out… Well, aside from the grey clouds trailing along the sky, but it's not like they were going to be any trouble anytime soon. "It's too bad Neptune couldn't come out here with us."

"Oh? Can't stop thinking about your little girlfriend?" a teasing Vert asked. She wasn't really given a proper answer, unless the brilliant blush on Nepgear's face counted as one. "Well, I guess I can't blame you. If you want, I can call up Cave; I'm sure she'll have made it to the basilicom by now."

Nepgear didn't even hesitate to answer. "If it's not too much trouble."

Vert gave the Candidate a soft smile. She didn't hesitate to pull out her phone and dialed the redhead's number. The phone started to ring, but then seconds passed with no answer. Vert was starting to wonder if Cave had forgotten her phone, but just before it went to voicemail, there was a click, followed by the redhead's surprised voice.

" _H-Hello! Lady Vert? Did something happen?_ "

"Hello, Cave. I believe I should be asking you that question," Vert replied matter-of-factly. "What's going on? Have you arrived at the basilicom yet? Nepgear wants to know how her sister is doing, you see."

" _W-Well, about that… See, we've made it to the basilicom_ _without issue_ _, but..._ " The redhead's voice came out very flustered, Vert noted.

"But?" Vert repeated. By this point, both Nepgear and Histoire were starting to become curious. Vert would've liked to reassure them that everything was fine, but she knew she'd probably be lying if she did that.

" _Lady Neptune isn't here._ "

"… Come again?" the CPU of green calmly requested. "I could've sworn I just heard you say-"

" _Lady Neptune is not at the basilicom._ "

"That's what I was afraid of," Vert mumbled. She cast her gaze to the patiently waiting Planeptunian girls by her side. She smiled at them, as if to try and assuage their concerns, but it was obvious they didn't buy it. "Are you sure she's not there?" Vert began into the phone in a low voice. "Have you checked her room? She might've just moved somewhere else since we-"

" _We've already checked everywhere, yet she's nowhere to be found. However, according to the basilicom staff, they saw her leave some time ago with Lady Plutia._ "

"Plu… You know, you could have started with that and saved me a heart attack, Cave," the CPU whined, her shoulders slouching.

" _My apologies. I wasn't sure how important that would be._ "

"Are you sure you weren't trying to mess with me?"

"… _Perhaps a little._ "

"In any case..." A beat. "Thank you for letting me know. I'll be sure to pass on the news to the other two." With that said, Vert hung up the phone and put it back in her inventory. She turned to let her fellows know the situation at hand… "Ah!" Though, she was very surprised to see them getting up close into her business. "Why is everyone trying to scare me today…?" the CPU of green wondered aloud.

"I-I'm sorry, Ms. Vert," Nepgear replied. "It's just that you were taking a while with your call, and you sounded a bit panicked, so I was starting to get a bit worried."

"Likewise," Histoire added. "I suppose we've been a bit on edge as of late. At any rate, what happened?"

"Ah… Right. W-Well, you see," Vert began, "It seems Neptune has gone out with Plutia."

"WHAT?!" Nepgear shrieked, causing both Vert and Histoire to flinch.

"N-No! Not like that, Nepgear," Vert hastily corrected. "As in, they literally went outside together."

"Oh… Right. Of course that's what you meant! Ahahahahah… Ha..." Nepgear's voice trailed off for a second. After a second, she cleared her throat and tried her best to sound more serious. As serious as she _could_ be, at least. "S-So then, do you know anything else? Did they say anything about where they went?"

"I'm afraid not," Vert answered, "Seems they just waltzed out without a word."

"But why would Neptune go outside in her condition?" the Candidate pondered aloud. She brought a hand to her chin as she mulled it over… for a good second or two until her face lit up in realization. If Vert had to guess, it was at that moment when Nepgear remembered just who they were dealing with. "N-Never mind, that was a silly question."

Even Histoire nodded in agreement to that. "At any rate, there's nothing we can do about that now," the sentient tome said.

"But we can't just leave them be," Nepgear objected, much to Histoire's surprise. "Neptune is in no condition to be going outside today. She needs to stay in bed until she recovers."

"Now, now, this is nothing to be getting worked up over," Vert assured. "I'm sure Neptune wouldn't do anything straining in her condition. And we already know Plutia isn't the type to stay outside for very long. Don't you think so, Histoire?"

"I suppose," Histoire agreed. "I wouldn't be too surprised if she ran out of energy halfway through and decided to go back home, if I'm being honest. Oh! But no offense to Ms. Plutia, of course!" she hurriedly blurted out, waving her hands in front of her. "In any event, I do not think there is any need for concern."

And yet, Nepgear only frowned, her gaze harsh. Now it was Vert's turn to sweatdrop nervously as she looked at the purple Candidate. After a moment of staring, Nepgear finally spoke up.

"I don't trust her," she said simply. To both Histoire and Vert's joined shock, the Candidate turned around and walked away as the two were left staring at her back, wondering what had just happened. The two exchanged glances before Vert decided to speak up again.

"Um, Nepgear?! Where are you going?" she asked.

"I'm going to go find my Neptune," she answered without turning around, leaving Vert and Histoire to gape at her retreating back. They kept on staring for some time until Nepgear had finally left their line of sight after turning a corner. They were left staring like a pair of deer in the headlights.

"Did she just leave?" Vert asked.

"It would seem so," Histoire answered.

"..."

"..."

The busty CPU sighed. "It seems she's already made up her mind," she said, stretching her arms over her head. "I suppose I'll give her a hand. It'd be quite ironic if she went and tired herself out while trying to find her tired girlfriend." Vert turned to the oracle of Planeptune once more. "What will you do, Histoire?"

She sighed as well. "There's no stopping her once she's made up her mind. She's just like Neptune in that regard," she said, "However, that is the reason why I have to keep a watchful eye on them. I shall head back to the basilicom to see what more I can find out. The staff may not know very much, but maybe some of the civilians nearby may know a thing or two."

"Sounds like a plan," Vert said, offering the fairy a thumbs up. "If you'd like, I can fly you back myself."

"No need," Histoire insisted, "I can handle myself just fine. And besides, three heads are better than one."

"Fair enough," Vert nodded. Histoire seemed unusually fired up for this occasion, so the two wasted no time moving out to help the purple candidate find Neptune. Vert decided to head in the opposite direction Nepgear had gone, while Histoire decided to head east. But then, Vert stopped mid-way, a thought crossing her mind.

The CPU of green turned around instantly and called out to Histoire.

"Wait!" The fairy stopped, eyeing Vert with a curious gaze. "I'm sorry, Histoire. It's just that… I'd been meaning to bring this up before, but Nepgear seems more riled up than normal. Do you know why that is?"

Histoire took a moment to think it over, bringing a hand to her chin. "Hm… Perhaps Neptune isn't the only one feeling wound up after everything that's happened as of late…" She went silent for a moment, before continuing. "I can't be 100% sure of it, but I believe there may be something bothering Nepgear. As to what that may be I do not know. I'm sorry I can't be of much help in that regard."

"No, that was more than enough," Vert assured. She gave the fairy one last wave as they parted ways, for real this time. This left the blonde Goddess alone with only her thoughts as company. Her mind was overcome with curiosity. "One is like a deranged animal without enough sleep and the other is trapped in her own thoughts and concerns like it's a cage. Never a dull day with those two around."

The Goddess green began to walk.

"I wonder though, does this have something to do with the talk Nepgear had with Noire? I couldn't hear anything back then, but… Oh, there's no use worrying about that now! Now then, maybe I'll start by looking around sweets shops… Then again, Neptune's with Plutia… In which case, it'd be best to check the mattress stores… As soon as I stop talking to myself!"

 **-~-~-~- _Purple Lovers_ -~-~-~-**

 **A/N: So I'd like to start this by saying sorry for the ridiculous hiatus I've been on as of late.**

 **Feels like I've said that kinda thing a lot now, so I'll keep this short. Again, I am so, _so_ sorry for the long hiatus, I'll be trying to get back into the swing of things from here on out. I know this is a short chapter to get back into things with, but I'll try to get a nifty _double_ upload ready for next week as a thanks for those who waited so patiently and put up with me this long.**

 **So yeah, _I'm not dead._ And of course, be sure to lemme know what ya thought of the chapter. Thank you for reading.**


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